Emerging contemporary artist Zhang Xiaoli will present her debut solo exhibition in Hong Kong at Alisan Atelier this month, marking a milestone in the gallery’s year-long celebration of Alisan Fine Arts’ 45th anniversary.
Titled Wandering Mindscape, the exhibition opens on February 28 and features 19 recent works that showcase Zhang’s refined gongbi painting technique, traditionally associated with detailed and meticulous Chinese brushwork. Her landscapes unfold in surreal and imagined environments, blending classical aesthetics with contemporary visual language.
Zhang’s compositions introduce playful elements drawn from games and puzzles, including motifs from her well-known Lego and Box series. References to chessboards, Rubik’s Cubes and labyrinth-like structures appear across the works, creating a visual dialogue between tradition and modern culture.
Together, these elements reinterpret the classical literati concept of “wandering in the mind,” a philosophical and artistic idea in which scholars journey through landscapes not physically but through painting and contemplation.
The exhibition resonates with the gallery’s anniversary theme, “Then and Now,” linking historical artistic traditions with contemporary expression.
“Through 'wandering,' I aspire to explore the connection between reality and illusion, and within it, discover emotions of playfulness and significance,” Zhang said.
Zhang is widely recognized for her distinctive use of gongbi to construct imagined worlds. Her exploration of game-related imagery began in the 2010s with the Boxed Landscape series, where traditional landscape elements such as mountains, trees and figures are replaced by Lego bricks and geometric structures. Within compact frames and containers, she builds surreal terrains that weave together personal memories and poetic visual narratives.
In recent years, Zhang has also drawn inspiration from the historical concept of Cabinets of Curiosities, which flourished between the 15th and 18th centuries as collections of rare and intriguing objects. Her works incorporate ideas from astronomy, physics, physiology, molecular biology, mathematics and metaphysics, creating compositions that merge scientific curiosity with aesthetic reflection.
Through this synthesis, Zhang reimagines the landscape genre for a contemporary audience, offering glimpses of nature as it is experienced, interpreted and reconstructed by the modern mind.
Exhibition: Wandering Mindscape – Zhang Xiaoli
Venue: Alisan Atelier – Aberdeen
1904 Hing Wai Centre, 7 Tin Wan Praya Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Opening Reception:
February 28, 2026 (Saturday)
3pm – 6pm
Artist talk:
Zhang Xiaoli: Wandering
February 28, 2026 (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM)
Guest Speaker: Prof Zhou Jin
Moderator: Yelin Qiu
Special events during Art Basel Hong Kong:
March 21 (Saturday) – Southside Saturday (11am – 7pm), Guided Tour (2pm – 6pm)
March 24 (Tuesday) – Late-Night Southside (8pm – 11pm)
Exhibition period:
February 28 – May 16, 2026
Gallery hours:
Wednesday – Saturday
10am – 6pm
