Zhang Xiaotao brings haunting visions of modern China to Palazzo Merulana

Rome— Palazzo Merulana, one of the Eternal City's leading venues for cross-cultural artistic dialogue, has opened its latest exhibition, Echoes of Time, a solo show by renowned Chinese artist Zhang Xiaotao. Running from  to Sept. 28, the exhibition features 18 multimedia works that explore memory, trauma and spirituality through a distinctive combination of traditional painting and digital animation.

 
 Curated by Andrea Romoli Barberini, the show immerses visitors in a visual universe where past and present merge in vivid and often unsettling imagery. Drawing from his personal experiences, Zhang creates complex, layered works that integrate archaeology, Tibetan studies and Buddhist philosophy with elements of modern Chinese society. His compositions include post-industrial landscapes, insects, saints, natural elements and symbolic objects, forming dreamlike scenes that are both intimate and universal.

 
 Zhang Xiaotao was born in Chongqing, China, in 1970. He graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 1996 and later earned a doctorate from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

 A visiting professor at the City University of Hong Kong, Zhang has exhibited internationally at venues including the Saatchi Gallery in London, MAXXI in Rome, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in New York, and the ESSL Museum in Vienna. He participated in the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013 and has received numerous awards, including Asia's Best Technical Animation Award and the Young Chinese Artist of the Year Award.
Palazzo Merulana, managed by CoopCulture and home to the Elena and Claudio Cerasi Foundation, continues to position itself as a space for global artistic engagement.

 According to director Paola Centanni, the museum "opens with increasing attention to multicultural confrontation", building on previous exhibitions such as the 2023 group show UP, which introduced emerging Chinese artists to Italian audiences.

 
 Romoli Barberini encourages viewers to consider Echoes of Time as a cohesive body of work. While the pieces may appear autonomous, he notes that their meaning deepens when experienced collectively. Painting and animation, despite their formal differences, work together to reconstruct fragmented memories and forge a unified artistic expression.

 
 Echoes of Time is on display at Palazzo Merulana, located at Via Merulana 121, Rome.

 The exhibition is open from Wednesday to Friday between 12 p.m. to 8 p.m, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from Aug. 13 to 24.

 Tickets are priced at 12.00 euros for general admission and 10 euros for concessions.

 Further information is available at www.palazzomerulana.it.

PS