Inside the Mind of An Artist: Xiaohong Zhang

Inside the Mind of An Artist: Xiaohong Zhang

Have you ever wondered how artists come up with ideas for their work?  Or how and what inspires their churning creativity wheels inside their heads?

On Friday, September 21, Xiaohong Zhang - an Associate Professor of Art and Design - visited our Lawrence campus.  Professor Zhang specializes in larger-scale northern Chinese style paper-cutting.  In China, paper cutting is actually one of the oldest forms of art.  Due to the modernization of art and its ability to be digitally transformed, Professor Zhang began to combine paper cutting with two-dimensional digital printing to create unimaginably intricate artwork.  Though the origin of her art stays true to her homeland, she does explore and integrate many different cultural influences - primarily eastern and western - that can be seen throughout her collections.  My absolute favorite piece of artwork she created is titled Pregnancy (pictured below).

Pregnancy, 2002-2003

Her caption reads:

A pregnant woman’s profile depicts her baby nestled and nurtured within her belly. Networks of vines, branches and leaves course through the entirety of the woman’s form, connecting her body to the broader intricacy of life that is characteristic of the natural world. The woman’s baby rests comfortably within her womb, eyes closed, its own form protected by the strong rootedness of its tree-like mother. The delicate patterns of this paper cut, interwoven and organic in design, relax the viewers, reminding them that the pregnant body is a place connected to nature and to the earth. Built to carry her babies and bring them forth into the world, the pregnant woman is a place of strength, nurturing and comfort. Closing their eyes, other pregnant women may feel a calmness come over them as they visualize their own bodies as strong trees or other organic structures capable of nurturing and protecting their babies.

The complexity of both the design and meaning are truly beautiful.  She composes a sense of fresh communal cultural identity that is easily recognizable in her work. The very foundation of her work is to use imagery to vocalize a message of complexity and collectivity, both relating to our contemporary normality and cultural identity.  

Professor Zhang's work is a representation of a quote McLuhan once stated: 

"Our time is a time for crossing barriers, for erasing old categories - for probing around.  When two seemingly disparate elements are imaginatively poised, put in apposition in new and unique ways, startling discoveries often result."

More information about Professor Xiaohong Zhang's work and mission can be found at http://www.xiaohongzhang.com/index.html