Meet Ketty Haolin Zhang | Visual Artist & Creative Strategist

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

Hi Ketty Haolin, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I didn’t choose art because it felt expressive so much as because it gave me a way to process and reflect on my experiences. It’s how I ask myself questions I can’t resolve verbally, and stay attentive to complexity.

Growing up in a small city in China where no one in my family was involved in creative work, becoming an artist was not a realistic path. I loved reading and writing and was drawn to visual expressions early on, but I didn’t imagine art as something one could build a life around. Even when I studied art at university, I approached it as something enjoyable while assuming I would eventually need a more practical “survival plan.”

It wasn’t until 2023, after spending years in a corporate role where I felt deeply out of place and unfulfilled, that I began to take my art practice seriously. I realized that I’d never stop making art, just like how I’d never want to stop learning about the world and myself, and that I was willing to take risks for it. I’m still learning a lot about how the art world works, but I’ve learned to trust moments of not knowing. Allowing myself that openness, even ignorance at times—has given me the courage to pursue and sustain my practice. After all, I’m making art for myself first. Integrity is really important to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work explores states of temporary belonging through painting and assemblage. At the moment, I primarily paint nighttime scenes, and make shrine-like, mixed-media assemblage with found or thrifted objects that speak to identity, desire, and intimacy. Immigrating to Canada at age 14 taught me a lot about myself and the world, and my artistic interests have been rooted in that.

My progress so far came through trial, missteps, and committing to a practice before there was external validation. I’ve learned to use the countless applications I submit and rejections as a tool to benchmark progress, clarify what I’m actually trying to say, and keep moving forward. As a working class immigrant artist, it’s also not easy working under this looming financial pressure and guilt, but you learn to live with it — a little bit of delulu is essential to survive.

Something I’ve learned that works well for me is restraint — tight deadlines, limited resources or materials, rigid structures that require out-of-the-box thinking. I’m pretty thrifty and enjoy finding unconventional ways to make things work in life, and it’s brought me hilarious and memorable experiences I would’ve never had otherwise.

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?
For Vancouver: brunch at Zarak, Japanese takeouts at Fujiya for under $10, Steveston Pizza Company, bleach bar in Chinatown

For LA: Ruen Pair and Jitlada… also I once went to a classical concert at Griffith Observatory, and it was unreal!

I’m relatively new to New York, but one restaurant that seems wildly underrated is Traif. I don’t think you can get an amazing chef’s menu anywhere else in NYC for that price. My favourite non-commercial art space, Amant, is also walking distance from it.

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?
My parents of course, I love them so much. And all the ambitious Asian women artists out there who I have or have not yet met in real life.

Website: https://www.kettyhaolinzhang.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kettyzzz/