B2 Atelier is pleased to present Primordial Garden, a solo exhibition by Mengge Zhao. In this body of work, Zhao develops a contemporary figurative language in which the female form becomes both subject and structure. Set within chromatically charged, symbolic environments, her figures occupy spaces that are at once intimate and archetypal. Drawing on rigorous academic training while resisting naturalistic convention, Zhao employs decisive line and heightened colour to construct psychological landscapes rather than descriptive scenes. References to myth, ritual, and nature appear throughout, yet remain open and non-prescriptive. The paintings propose a space of interior reflection, where femininity is articulated not as narrative but as presence — grounded, self-contained, and quietly monumental.

Mengge Zhao

Born in Henan Province, China, Mengge Zhao lives and works in Beijing. A professional artist trained at the Affiliated Middle School of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and later at the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Zhao’s practice is grounded in rigorous academic training and a sustained engagement with figurative and contemporary visual language.

In 2011, she was appointed Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University in the United States. Zhao is a member of the Chinese Artists Association, a Visiting Professor at the Communication University of China, and serves as a Director of the Asian Women’s Development Association.

Her work has been presented in more than 80 solo and group exhibitions across China, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Japan, and Korea. Zhao has received significant recognition, including the Nomination Award at the 11th National Art Exhibition of China, the Silver Award at the First Nanjing International Art Exhibition, and the 2014 Cultural and Art Brand Women Award.

Zhao’s practice explores poetic narratives shaped by memory, femininity, and spiritual introspection. Her paintings move between romantic symbolism and contemporary sensibility, constructing visual spaces where emotional resonance and philosophical inquiry coexist.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2023 La Grâce Éternelle – Loololook Gallery, Paris, France

2021 Paradise Opera – Art-L Gallery, Shanghai, China

2020 Zhao Mengge Art Exhibition – Nag Gallery, Paris, France

2019 Revelations – French Feminist Alliance Art Gallery, Paris, France

2018 Aseity – Shandong Art Museum, Jinan, China

2015 Utopia – Today Art Museum, Beijing, China

2012 The Most Romantic Time – Henan Museum, Zhengzhou, China

Summer 2 / 2023

Oil on canvas 30 x 40cm