Zhuping Zhong

Can you tell us more about your background and how your journey from Shenzhen to Shanghai and then to New York influenced your artistic practice?

I was lucky enough to start my art education in primary school in Shenzhen. At that time, education was a happy, free experience for everyone. The teachers were really encouraging and let us try out different mediums and themes of our own choosing. I really do think that without this happy period of enlightenment, I might not have made the firm choice to be an artist that I did. Later on, when I moved to Shanghai, I had the chance to briefly study at a really challenging but great studio. The education there was all about exam preparation, which was a very different experience from the happy education I had received before. I found the sudden increase in boring technique training a bit too much to take in, so I decided to leave. I ended up coming to the US to start a more structured education at an academy. At SVA, I had the chance to learn so much from several wonderful professors! I gained a deeper understanding of color concepts, toner and charcoal techniques, and compositional skills. The mixed media I use most often now are gouache, acrylics, charcoal and pencil, which I couldn’t have done without the training I received at SVA.

Zhuping Zhong | Flying over | 2024

You are planning to pursue further studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. What do you hope to achieve or explore during your time there?

I’m not sure how far my work will go in the future, but I do have some goals for now! I’d love to keep exploring different forms of expression, including working on larger scales and trying out different mediums and materials. I’d also love to try out some small installations and make them interactive with my paintings and the viewer. It’s also my goal to keep exploring the possibilities of my subject matter. I’d like to keep dividing up the smaller themes within the larger ones and creating series of works. At the same time, I want to think about how to make my work more relevant to the viewer, to people and to society.

What challenges do you encounter when exploring the notion of otherness and the boundaries outside safe zones in your work?

I think the biggest challenge at the moment is to keep myself in a peaceful state of mind. I might show some anxiety in my work, but I’d really love to try to convey a neutral, rather than negative energy. I find that if I can stay calm, it helps me to convey that to the painting and then to the viewer. I really hope my paintings make people feel calm or happy.

Zhuping Zhong | Woodland Soceity | 2023

What are some key influences or inspirations in your artistic development?

I would like to share about how I developed my technique. I’m really grateful for the influence my professors at school had on me, but I also study other more established mixed media artists. From 2021 to 2022, I work exclusively in acrylics. It wasn’t until 2023 that I started looking for a breakthrough, when I visited the wonderful Jenny Brosinski’s exhibition at the Almine Rech Gallery in Shanghai. I was instantly captivated by the freedom of her brushstrokes and the depth of her effects. I felt the urge to layer more mediums on top of the acrylics I already had, which led to a series of works that I’m still exploring to this day.

How do your experiences and observations in different cities shape your view on the dynamics between individuals and groups?

In terms of my personal experience, I have been entering new environments. I first came to Shanghai from Shenzhen, where I was most familiar, and joined an established classroom community as a stranger. Then I came to New York, this time not only with an unfamiliar environment, but also with an unfamiliar language and culture. As a person who is not good at socializing, I needed to make a lot of attempts to integrate into the new environment, and a lot of complex emotions arose in the process. Meanwhile, through my long-term experience and observation, I believe that individuals and groups are transformed into each other. Individuals form groups and groups break down into individuals. Individuals can be held hostage by the group, but the choices of the group can also be influenced by individuals. In any case, there is no separation between people and society, between individuals and groups. As an individual, the various stories or emotions that arise from the interaction with the group are the themes that I am currently exploring.

Zhuping Zhong | Swirl | 2023

What role does color and composition play in conveying the emotions and themes in your artwork?

Every painting I create is unique, with its own color and composition. I love using a range of colors in my work, from calm, soothing hues like blue and green to vibrant, lively shades like pink and yellow. I find that these colors help to create a sense of calm or joy in my paintings, which I hope resonates with my viewers.

Can you share an experience or story behind one of your artworks that had a significant impact on you?

I’d love to share this piece of artwork I created during the school application stage：

Zhuping Zhong | Inside the Safe Zone | 2023

In this work, I have created a harmonious social environment. A luminous river guides the viewer’s eye as a source of life, and symbols representing plants and birds freely surround it. On the right side of the picture, I have placed two squares which are abstracted railings indicating the boundaries of the safety zone. Everything within this zone is orderly, peaceful and cheerful. It also reflects my state of mind at the time: I was focused on creating with the support of my family. I am so grateful to my family for supporting me in my decision to continue my education.