Xu Zhen was born in Shanghai in 1977. He graduated from Shanghai School of Arts and Craft in 1996. Xu Zhen is a multi-discipline artist who uses photography, installation and video in his practise. One of his most infamous pieces was “8.848-1.86” where he had the top 1.86m of the Mount Everest’s peak removed and later displayed with a video documenting the ascent. His works are often provocative and explore Chinese social matters. Over his decade’s long career, Xu Zhen has exhibited internationally, at museums and biennales, such as, Venice Biennale (2001, 2005), The Museum of Modern Art (New York, 2004), ICP (2004), Mori Art Museum (2005), PS1 (2006), Tate Liverpool (2007), etc. Xu Zhen’s curatorial experiments and engagement with an alternative art space and a website has complements and extends his conceptual practices.