The Scottish boy and his red cat, 2025

Peng Zizhen  

Peng Zizhen, born in Guangdong, China, in April 1993, is a young artist with both Eastern and Western artistic training. He has deeply immersed himself in the field of painting, and thanks to his solid professional background and innovative artistic mindset, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of art and developed a unique artistic language.

In terms of academic background, Peng Zizhen graduated in 2016 from the Faculty of Classical Chinese Painting at the China Academy of Art. To broaden his artistic perspective, he went to Europe and graduated in 2022 from the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the Faculty of Painting Methodology at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.

In his creative practice, Zizhen has achieved significant results in the field of mural art and has 5 years of experience in creating large-scale murals. He has been responsible for the planning and execution of many important projects: in Naro, in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, Italy, he personally designed and directed the completion of a 150-square-meter frescoed ceiling for the town hall's conference room, skillfully blending local culture with artistic culture. He also created a fresco portrait of Saint San Calogero, which is permanently housed in the city's open-air museum. He participated in several other mural projects in the city and produced murals for numerous private homes and restaurants. In China, he successfully created a 25-square-meter mural at the Hong Santai Literature Museum in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, China, interpreting the local regional cultural connotation from a unique artistic perspective, which was widely praised.

As for artistic exhibitions:

In May 2024, he once again received first prize in the 17th "Primo Lascialfari" live painting competition organized by the Municipality of San Piero a Sieve.

In September 2023, he won first prize in the "San Caloriu da Marina" live painting competition organized by the Municipality of Porto Empedocle, Italy.

In May 2020, his works were selected for the Excellence Exhibition at an art event organized by the Department of Science and Education of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Italy and the Chinese Student Association in Italy, co-organized by Funspace Art and the Student Association of the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome.

In June 2016, he won the bronze medal at the undergraduate graduation exhibition for Chinese painting at the China Academy of Art.

In August 2016, he participated in the Guangzhou University Student Art Expo.

In November 2015, he received the Best Creative Work Award in an outdoor portrait activity organized by the China Academy of Art.