Artist: Zhang Dali

1963 - Born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
1987 - Graduated from National Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Beijing, China
Lives and works in Beijing, China

Dialogue
1999

In an interview, Zhang Dali aka Ak47 aka 18k, known for his spray-painted heads around Beijing, describes his experience with graffiti.

Many years ago the police would try to find me and not allow me to do the graffiti. I painted it for 2 years and nobody knew, but one day the police suddenly came to my house and asked "Is that painted by you?" and I said "no," I denied it. They said, "Who do you think we are? We know everything," and then I said yes. They wanted to know what the graffiti was for, was it anti-government, was it an organization or group that did it. That was in 1997; that was the worst time.

Demolition: Forbidden City
1998

According to CNN, Zhang Dali "returns to the heads and chisels out portions of them. These voids offer a new perspective on the changes sweeping through Beijing as its leaders bulldoze traditional neighborhoods to make room for modern apartments and shopping malls."

Rain No 1. - AK 47 Series
2007
Acrylic on vinyl

Chinese Offspring
2004
Mixed Media

"His other work has included portraits of migrant workers built from his "AK-47" tag and resin casts of their whole bodies, suspended upside down in groups."