Born in Jilin in 1965 and a graduate of the Arts & Design Institute at Wuxi Technical University, Zhang Enli's earlier works were predominantly inspired by his first impressions of Shanghai.  In 2000, Zhang held his first solo exhibition, "Dancing", at the ShanghART Gallery, where he displayed his early explorations of humanity and psychology in a style that was clearly influenced by German Expressionism.

Since then, Zhang has been creating a series of still life paintings, including the Container collection, which explored themes of loneliness and emptiness and eventually brought him fame.  The boxes, bowls, buckets and other empty containers are all painted against lackluster backdrops, and for the artist these o...