Meet Zengyi Zhao | Photographer & Artists

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

Hi Zengyi, why did you pursue a creative career?
Currently, as a graduate art student still in school, I am exploring a suitable artistic or creative career path for myself. So, I don’t have a clear answer to this question yet. However, continuously creating art is an indispensable part of my life; it’s a method through which I realize my self-worth and gain immense satisfaction. I’ve previously told a friend that an artist’s interests and cognition constantly change with their environment and knowledge. Therefore, after finishing one creation, one should immerse themselves in the next project to keep the inspiration flowing. In other words, each creation by an artist is a process of personal growth and represents a phase, much like a snake shedding its skin during growth. That shed skin is akin to an artist’s work. I look forward to the day when I can look back at my works and see the ‘skins’ I have shed as they manifest my internal growth and flourishing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I use medium-format cameras and pixel-shift techniques to create images of up to four hundred million pixels in my photography. These images’ large size and incredible detail allow me to print them at 60*40 inches, giving viewers ample space to explore the hidden details and processing traces. During shooting, I visited the location during daylight to set up and return at midnight to shoot again. This way, I capture the day and night variations of the same scene and then composite them into the final work. Because I use high-powered lighting equipment and other aids for shooting, my friends describe me as a one-person film crew. Although the shooting process is very cumbersome and often accompanied by many unexpected situations, I still thoroughly enjoy it. I immerse myself in the surrounding environment. The shooting process is also like a spiritual journey for me, from conceiving the image to finally seeing it presented in the viewfinder. This process is very fulfilling.

Because my work often involves a lot of blending and modification, what appears to be a believable landscape at first glance hides numerous artificial interventions and modifications. This is my reflection as a contemporary social being: how much of the ‘normal’ life I take for granted is filled with human designs? My work revolves around the critique of inauthenticity and alienation brought by capitalism and consumerism concerning the individual’s relationship to the changing social conditions and grand narratives. In my various works, I visualize the connections between individual life and grand narratives, discussing the presentation and impact of different sociocultural phenomena such as modernity and spectacle. In my creative process, I am particularly interested in the sensation of the ‘sublime,’ which is why I photograph grand landscapes, buildings, and similar subjects. I hope to create a unique space in my various exhibitions through the size of the artworks and the design of the space. This aims to give the audience a sublime experience, eliciting an emotional resonance.

My works can perhaps be summarized as a record of my personal feelings toward the ‘Anthropocene’. Through the repeated jumping between macro and micro perspectives, I hope to extend the individual’s insignificance and confrontation with social reality, exploring the anonymization of humans and their integration with machines in the contemporary context. I cannot predict the future, but from a historical perspective, all uncertainty is inevitable, and we have long become accustomed to its emergence. Such thought processes may need to be broken and questioned. I like the metaphor of artists as canaries, as in the caves of history, it is often the artists who can react first to potential changes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite place is definitely the Griffith Observatory! That was the first ‘sightseeing spot’ I visited when I came to the United States. My friend took me to the observatory deck, where the cityscape of LA was fully visible. He excitedly pointed out the directions of various areas in LA; at that time, I was utterly clueless. But now, having lived in LA for six years and frequently visiting Griffith Park for photography, I often observe the cityscape from the observatory for hours while shooting. Now, Griffith Park has become a place I always take my friends to, and I can point out the directions of various areas to them and tell them where to find the best Chinese food, beautiful beaches, and so on.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out to my friends and classmates who have supported my artistic journey. Artistic creation is a long-term commitment that requires wholehearted passion and engagement. As an artist on this path, one encounters many difficulties, some from the perspective of creation and others from life. I like to describe the process of an artist’s creation as self-awareness and self-deconstruction, during which I have gained a deeper understanding of myself and extended my curiosity to the external environment. I am deeply grateful that my friends and cohort have been part of this process, especially during the daily critique sessions. All my classmates generously share their knowledge and thoughts. Communicating and exchanging ideas with them allows me to absorb their suggestions and recommendations, which greatly assist my artistic creation. Also, many of my projects’ photography and exhibition preparations would not have been possible without the help of close friends.

Website: zengyizhaoart.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/zengyi_zhao?igshid=MmVlMjlkMTBhMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr