Zhang Kechun

Zhang Kechun’s work examines the post-industrial landscape of China. Working with a large-format camera he produces epic vistas that dwell on the significance of the landscape in modern Chinese national identity. In particular, Kechun explores the relationship between the country’s cultural heritage and the effects of modernisation. Kechun’s works are quietly beautiful and hugely atmospheric, using a soft and subtle colour palette. Whilst Kechun imbues the altered landscape of China with a tragic beauty, his photographs also capture the comical moments in people’s everyday lives that he encounters.

Zhang Kechun was born in 1980 in Sichuan, China. He won the National Geographic Picks Global Photo Contest in 1998 and was shortlisted for the World Photography Awards in 2013. In 2014, he received the Discovery Award at Les Rencontres d’Arles for The Yellow River, and more recently was awarded first prize in the Still Life category at the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Photoquai in Paris, the Beijing Photo Biennale, and the Delhi Photo Festival. Works from The Yellow River were shown at the Bangkok Art Biennale in 2020. In 2025, his work featured in group exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC), Lithuania, the Museum für Geschichte, Austria, and the Cantor Arts Center, California.