Zhang Huan

Contrasts Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquired by the present owner from the above in 2007

This work is in very good condition overall. All surface inconsistencies inherent to the artist’s working method. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"For an artist embarking on experiments with new media, the allure of ash was manifold. In addition to the cultural and historical importance already unpacked by Zhang Huan's introduction, incense ash held a crumbly aesthetic appeal and, more importantly, was redolent of an intensely practised spirituality: the material embers of an immaterial act. The swaying bodies and nodding heads that accompanied the practice of incense burning told of its hypnotic and transformative power. In the ash remains, the artist found a material as evocative, highly charged and rich in metaphysical association as fat and felt were for Joseph Beuys." - Nina Miall (Zhang Huan, Ash, London, 2007)