Compassionate Tears, an oil painting by Zhang Ben in 2017. The painter’s new exhibition is now open in Shanghai and will run until Nov. 29. Photo: Zhang Ben

The Last Meal by Zhang Ben in 2021. The artist tends to use elements like fire, watch and hands, to present surrealistic spaces to express himself. Photo: Zhang Ben

Quartet, oil on canvas, 80x80cm, 2017. Photo: Zhang Ben

The Ark-6 by Zhang Ben in 2021. The artist tries to express hidden desires, power and the overlap of time through religious elements. Photo: Zhang Ben

Silent Fable-1 by Zhang Ben in 2019. The artist uses color in a bold but restrained way. The smooth gradients he created between cold and warm colors in the paintings convey a sense of infinite. Photo: Zhang Ben

Silent Fable-4, oil on canvas, 120x70cm, 2020. Photo: Zhang Ben

Glance-1, oil on wood, 30x30cm, 2021. Photo: Zhang Ben

Glance-2, oil on wood, 30x30cm, 2021. Photo: Zhang Ben

White Night, oil on canvas, 60x70cm, 2020. Photo: Zhang Ben

Babel-4, oil on canvas, 120x130cm, 2019. Photo: Zhang Ben

Babel-5, oil on canvas, 120x130cm, 2019. Photo: Zhang Ben

Two Moons, oil on wood, 30x30cm, 2020. Photo: Zhang Ben

Relativity by Zhang Ben in 2017. The accurate use of shape, color, and brush reveals his inclination toward classicism. Photo: Zhang Ben

A portrait of Zhang Ben, who is now working and living in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Zhang Ben