Zeng Fanzhi was born in 1964 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in 1991. After graduation, he was assigned to work at an advertising company but remained dedicated to his artistic practice in his spare time. His early representative works, including the Union Hospital and Meat series, reflect a deep contemplation of the human condition. After moving to Beijing, he gained widespread recognition with his Mask series, which depicts individuals in the midst of rapid urbanization—well-dressed and wearing masks, yet concealing their true emotions. The series explores the tension between the individual and society, as well as the conflict between one’s external appearance and inner self. In later years, his artistic practice gradually shifted toward abstract and expressionist portraiture, as well as dynamic abstract landscapes, exploring the enduring tension between nature and human existence.

This work is the first piece in Zeng Fanzhi’s renowned Meat series and the only painting in the series that depicts meat alone. At the time, Zeng had recently graduated from the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts and was living in Wuhan, a city undergoing rapid social transformation. He lived near both a hospital and a butcher shop, which served as inspiration for this piece. In Meat, bold red and white brushstrokes fill the canvas, creating a visually striking and even unsettling effect—precisely what the artist intended. Zeng once remarked that he sees no real difference between the colour of human flesh and that of meat. While this may sound harsh, his deeper meaning is that, in the realities of society, people are sometimes treated as soulless “meat.” At the time, China was experiencing a huge social transition, and people were busy navigating the wave of economic change, yet experiencing a sense of spiritual confusion. With Meat, Zeng sought to express the inner fear and helplessness felt by individuals during this period.