Zhao Bandi, Do You Mind If I Have A Cigarette, 1990
Digital C print with chinese seals
46 x 42.5 cm (visible), 52 x 50 cm (framed)
Condition: Good, with foxing and mould visible throughout the work.
Edition 11 of 280.
Acquired from Asian Art Archive Charity Auction, China House, Hong Kong.
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Zhao Bandi (Chinese, b. 1966) is a contemporary artist known for his recurring use of the panda, earning him the nickname “the panda man”. Working across painting, photography, sculpture, installation and performance, he uses humour and satire to examine contemporary Chinese society, consumer culture and public life.
Trained in oil painting, Zhao became increasingly concerned with social issues amid the rapid commercialisation of China. He began combining the friendly image of the panda with the visual language of advertising and public campaigns, addressing topics such as smoking, disease and social behaviour. His works often place the panda in humorous situations, allowing him to comment on wider cultural and social concerns.
In later years, Zhao returned to painting, creating playful and sometimes absurd scenes that reflect everyday inequalities and contradictions.
The M+ Museum in Hong Kong holds a significant selection of works by Zhao Bandi within the M+ Sigg Collection, spanning multi-disciplinary mediums like sculpture, video, photography, and canvas prints that satirise global consumerism and rapid socio-political changes in China.
(Photographed in April 2026)