Reflections on Vivien Zhang's work

 

 

 

Keywords

​

• The space of painting

• Illusions

• Models of Painting

• De-image

• Repetition

​

From the very beginning, Vivien Zhang‘s paintings have come from practice. She does not rely on emotions or images but instead deduces them through dialogue, friction and negotiation with the work. She relies on a series of 'logical' compositions, interested in the limitations of the image and the sense of space and illusion it can create. This sense of space refers to the sense of space on the surface of the painting. Not within real space, and it is more a way of evoking the viewer's experience of real space by relying on depicting the virtual space.

​

'Although my work was more visual when I was at school, I now prefer to 'de-imagine' my work rather than create a visual effect that is eye-catching to many people. I want my audience not to be watching but reading my work. For me, the shifting of gears in my work is significant, and I want to invite the viewer to read the different languages, brush strokes, friction and collisions in the paintings.'- （ Vivien Zhang，2022）

​

In her studio, many cut-outs and prints are posted, which she calls Models of Paintings. Once this model is available, the 'model' is then transferred to the canvas.

​

In her work, one can see similar positive and negative shapes, repetitive patterns, and pixelated images. She says that she can take pleasure in the process. The repetition of the three-centimetre grid releases the satisfaction of her repetitiveness, the discomfort of control, and the pain of stagnation. It is the antithesis of other natural and random strokes.

​

Over time, drawing the grid becomes an unconscious labour, and the colours and directions become conditioned. The mind is now freed from the intensity of concentration. At this point the artist herself and the painting are interlocked, the artist's consciousness and movement being shaped by the painting at the same time.

 

She explains the appearance of symbols from different contexts in her paintings by reflecting on her own third cultural identity and the mixed state of the information deluge era. In her paintings, she tries to find explanations for her decisions, which are often influenced by cultural identity. For instance, she displays her childhood memories and experiences of education and her identity as living in East London. However, I wonder if she considers these things regarding her creative process.

​

She claims that her paintings represent a new landscape, which is a reflection of the fragmented and fragmented way people use technology today to communicate and consume information. However, in the Post-90s, her interventions and penetration have become less relevant.

​

I have found that her work is very much adapted to electronic social media of communication. It is not very different from viewing the work on an electronic screen. It is interesting to me that she started with the intention of counter-fragmenting the conduction of information, but has created work that is very well suited to the way information is consumed through electronic media.
 

​

Resources

​

Picture resources

Royal College of Art, 2014. Students/Vivien Zhang. [Online]
Available at: https://www.rca.ac.uk/students/vivienzhang/

​

Yiren Shen, 2022. Vivien Zhang: When art becomes a 'pass' through the folds of time and space. Artnet Consulting, 17 June

​

Cancan Cui, 2022. Vivien Zhang -The interweaving of identities and responses. Song Art, 5 September

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​