1969 Born in Kaifeng, Henan Province, China
Currently teaches at South China Agricultural University

Zhang Jinhui expresses the emotion of ‘restraint’ in the form of line, agreeing with the philosopher that “a person who cannot be restrained is not a free person.” She uses “restrained lines” to complete her artistic expression: “All my paintings, whether large or small, start with a line. When I look at each painting, even after a long time, I know exactly where it started.” The woman painter’s paintings begin with a single line and then carefully draw one after the other, sparse lines gradually enriching, abstract imagery becoming concrete, a whole world gradually revealing itself. She sees the line as an outlet for her spirit, a flowering of pessimism, by which she accomplishes spiritual redemption, in such a simple and direct way that never allows for modification, because it is direct.