Zhao Yao was born in Sichuan province in 1981 and graduated from the Design Arts Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2004. He currently lives and works in Beijing. Since 2005, Zhao Yao has become an increasingly important figure in the emerging generation of the contemporary art world in China. 

His solo exhibitions include “51m: 3# Zhao Yao” at Taikang Space (Beijing, 2010), “Zhao Yao: I Am Your Night” and “Zhao Yao: You Can’t See Me, You Can’t See Me” at Beijing Commune (Beijing, 2011 and 2012), “Spirit Above All” (London, 2013) and "A Painting of Thought" at (Hong Kong, 2015) at Pace Gallery, and "The Last Egg" at Beijing Commune (Beijing, 2016). His work has also been exhibited at Tate Modern (London, 2010), Fremantle Arts Centre (Australia, 2011), Rubell Family Collection (Miami, 2013), Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum (Michigan, 2013), Pinchuk Art Centre (Ukraine, 2013), ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (Germany, 2013), and Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing, 2013). Most recently, he was selected to participate in “Focus Beijing: the De Heus-Zomer Collection” at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Nederland, 2014), “Inside China” at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris, 2014), and "Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915-2015" at Whitechapel Gallery (London, 2015).