Zhang graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Shanghai Drama Institute. At a tender age, Zhang mastered the techniques of oil-painting and later worked as a resident artist with the Shanghai Art Museum. He has held several solo exhibitions, including the China Chapter at the Guangdong Museum of Art in 2002, and Art Projects International in New York in 2001. He also participated in several group exhibitions which includes Makers and Venice Biennale. He currently lives and work in New York and is a faculty member of the Fine Arts department at New York University.