Meet Zaozao Zhang | Interdisciplinary Sculpture Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zaozao Zhang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zaozao, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
My inspiration stems from East Asian cultural backgrounds and perspectives on history, which harbor many mysterious elements, myths, and poetry within the realm of traditional Chinese culture. Extensive reading and research on archaeology during my childhood have deeply influenced me. I was fascinated with the traces time leaves on objects. In tracing back history, I attempt to uncover the secretive feminist resistance within the patriarchal-dominated historical perspective and endeavor to employ these acts of resistance to dismantle the colonization of the body. Simultaneously, I am enamored with the narrative of magical realism, such as the works of Gabriel García Márquez. My works often cloak themselves in a surreal, psychedelic guise, using narratives that transcend the ordinary to ‘seduce’ the audience into the artistic world I create.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My practice partakes in feminist discourse. Manifesting through sculpture, printmaking, performance, and videos, I examine the human body as a symbol of power within the patriarchal framework. My works resist the colonization of the female body. Chanting witch’s spells, I infuse our primal power into daily objects, architecture, and mythology. Fire and poetry offer solace amidst my sorrow of family separation and the struggles faced by the queer community in East Asia. Arising from frailty and strength, my works give shape to my emotions and, transform them into poignant moments. Like witnessing coalescing droplets descending from the eaves, I invite viewers to pause for this tiny cold stirring. Curiosity about things drives me to explore and push the boundaries of different materials and mediums. As I studied drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation art, performance, and film, I found the process of combining different mediums to be challenging, but the result rewarded me with a very special and memorable experience. And in the process of merging different mediums, I was able to discover different sparks of inspiration each time. In the future, I will continue to embrace more new materials, and I am excited about this.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I will take my friends to New York’s Chinatown. Exploring Chinatown is like a little treasure hunt game. People can find many surprises and unknown things in Chinatown, from antiques full of historical traces to small merchandise reflecting cultural fusion. All kinds of people live in Chinatown, and its microcosm reflects the richness of life.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to share with you an art magazine called Raging Magazine, an art publication by Pearl Slug Studio, an independent publisher from China, who are willing to shout out their voices despite China’s strict cultural control, and each issue of Raging will have a different theme and invite artists to create artwork for it. Each issue of Raging Magazine features a different theme and invites artists to create artwork for the issue, with past issues featuring themes such as homecoming, love, strange creatures, and more. I believe that the ‘rage’ of Raging Magazine has made me braver in my art practices.

Website: zaozzz.art

Instagram: zao.zzz

Image Credits
photo credits: You Liang