His monumental clay figures convey themes of globalization, politics, and power by reshaping traditional symbols with contemporary pop culture elements.

During his academic years, he worked at the Artworks Foundry in Berkeley,[3][4] where he encountered and was influenced by artists like Peter Voulkos, Stephen de Staebler, and Manuel Neri.

This marked the beginning of a series of exhibitions and shows, including a solo show in 2002; his debut museum exhibition, "Pit #5," at The University of Wyoming Art Museum in 2006,[5] curated by Susan Moldenhauer; his first display at Art Beatus Gallery[6][7] in Hong Kong in 2008; and a ten-year survey traveling show from 2010 to 2012, curated by Peter Held, starting with the Bellevue Arts Museum holding the first in-depth survey of Zhang's work with the exhibit titled "Wanxin Zhang: A Ten Year Survey.

In 2021, Zhang's piece "Warrior with Color Face" became part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection for the exhibit "This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World,"[2][18][19] in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Renwick Gallery.

[21][22][23] This year, Zhang's ceramic sculpture "Color Face" was featured in an outdoor group sculpture exhibition called "Claiming Space: Refiguring the Body in Landscape" at Montalvo Art Center,[24][25] alongside other notable artists such as Alison Saar, Pilar Agüero-Esparza, and Hank Willis Thomas.