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Zhang Huan, one of the most prominent artists of the contemporary Chinese art scene, returns to Milan for his second personal exhibition at the Project B Gallery.

On display are five Ash Paintings, works laden with spirituality (Buddhism is a vital part of the artist’s life) and created with ash, perceived not merely as a simple material but a sort of soul, memory and collective blessing.

The technique is meticulous: the artist gathers together the ashes from dozens of temples around the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, then separates them out according to their color and grain size, sprinkling them onto the surface until he obtains the image he has in his mind; then he fixes it on a linen cloth.

For the artist, Italy has a wealth of works by the great masters; an endless source of artistic inspiration that lies at the roots of Ash Banquet, inspired by one of the masterpieces of our Italian artistic heritage – The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

It’s the artist’s tribute to the city of Milan, explains Elena Geuna, curator of the exhibition held last year at the PAC: “After his important retrospective, the artist was fascinated by The Last Supper; the consistency of the incense and the special technique used by Zhang Huan lend the da Vinci iconography a new degree of spirituality, that brings to mind an ancient, intimate and universal sacredness. The works of Zhang Huan aim to express modernity instilled with tradition, a universal spirituality that brings together East and West, past and present, in a dialogue between different cultures and religions.”

The other works on show reveal various themes based on old photos published in official Chinese magazines.

Born in 1965, Zhang Huan lives and works in Shangai and New York. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions and his works are present in important museum’ collection worldwide: MoMA, Guggenheim and Metropolitan in New York; Hara Museum of Contemporary art in Tokyo; the Israel Museum in Gerusalemme; the S.M.A.K, Gent; the CentrePompidou in Paris; the Shanghai Art Museum. On 2009 Zhang Huan made his directorial and scenographic debut with Semele, a Handle production at Theatre Royal de la Monnaie in Bruxelles.