survey_09 — Street Art of China
1. Zhang Dali — 张大力 (b. 1963, Harbin)
Graduated from: Central Academy of Art and Design, 1987
China's first street artist: from 1995 he painted the profile of an AK-47 on the walls of Beijing houses slated for demolition — the "Dialogue" project (对话) became a chronicle of the city's destruction.
- "Dialogue" (对话, since 1995)— 2,000+ profiles on walls marked for demolition, photographed before and after they collapsed.
- “The Second History” (第二历史, 2000s) — work with official photographs and their retouching.
- Sculpture and graphic work of the 2000s–2010s — a continuation of the theme of body and power.
2. Li Qiuqiu [李球球] (Beijing street artist, working since the early 2000s)
Founder of Beijing's first graffiti crew, “Beijing Snipers” (北京喷子): street painting, lettering and the urban culture of 798.
- “Beijing Snipers” (北京喷子, since the 2000s) — paintings in 798 and across Beijing.
- Murals and lettering — large urban compositions.
- Curating and teaching — the first graffiti events and festivals in Beijing.
3. Chen Yingjie [Hua Tunan] — 陈英杰 (b. 1991, Foshan, Guangdong)
He joined Chinese ink painting to Western graffiti: spray-painted walls and canvases with motifs of tigers, horses and birds.
- Murals of the 2010s — large paintings in China, Europe and the USA.
- Easel painting in ink — splashes, drips and traditional motifs.
- Forbes 30 Under 30 (2020) — international recognition for street work.
4. DALeast (b. 1984, Wuhan)
The best-known Chinese muralist abroad: images of animals assembled from metallic shards of line.
- Murals of the 2010s in Europe, Asia and Africa — a “metallic” style of thousands of lines.
- Painting and graphic work — the same subjects on canvas and paper.
- Urban Nation / urban projects — large public works.
5. Xu Yan [SCAR] — 许岩 (Beijing street artist, born in the 1980s)
Co-founder of the ABS Crew (2007), one of China's leading graffiti groups, a festival participant and the author of urban murals.
- ABS Crew (since 2007) — the walls of 798 and international graffiti festivals.
- “An Ideal State of Graffiti” (涂鸦理想国, 2010s) — the crew's exhibition in Beijing.
- Murals and design — commercial and public projects.
6. Lin Zinan [林子楠] (Shanghai street artist)
Fifteen years working on the streets of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Xi'an and Wenzhou: graffiti joined to Chinese tradition.
- Murals of the 2010s — walls in Shanghai and other cities.
- Traditional motifs in street painting — Chinese ornament in graffiti technique.
- Curating street projects — organising murals and festivals.
7. Biskit (Beijing street artist)
A Beijing graffiti artist who joins Chinese folk motifs to street painting; he has worked in Beijing since the 2000s.
- Paintings in Beijing — walls in districts and art clusters.
- Folk motifs — quotations from Chinese tradition in graffiti.
- Group projects — participation in urban graffiti events.
8. Chwis (graffiti artist, SinoGhetto)
A member of the SinoGhetto crew: lettering with Chinese characters, working in Hong Kong and mainland China.
- SinoGhetto murals — large lettering compositions.
- Chinese characters in graffiti — a mix of Latin and Chinese lettering.
- Festival works — paintings at street events.
9. Candy Lien (graffiti artist, SinoGhetto)
A muralist from the SinoGhetto crew: colour schemes and urban murals, with work in Asia and Europe.
- Murals of the 2010s — paintings in cities across Asia.
- Colour and ornament — decorative compositions in graffiti technique.
- SinoGhetto group projects — the crew's joint murals.
