Interview with Lan Zhang

 Interview with Lan Zhang

by Joshua Y'Barbo

According to the Lan Zhang's website, 

Ancient symbols are the most important element in Lanlan Zhang's work. The artist is obsessed with ancient art, believing that the spirit of ancient man is similar to that of modern man living in a technological and material world. Primitive cave cultures and prehistoric cliff paintings and later burial cultures, including indigenous art from ancient Egypt, the Maya, Africa, Asia and elsewhere. 


You can see more of Zhange's work on her website and follow her on Instagram. 
 


Where There is You III (2022) by Lan Zhang
Oil on Canvas
MA Fine Art

Joshua Y'Barbo (JY): Tell me about your practice: What do you make work about? How to you go about making your work? What do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work?

Lan Zhang (LZ): I'm currently working on a series of pieces about the female characters surrounding single mothers. I'm mainly exploring the female situation based on my personal experiences, such as how single mums understand parenthood, how they work, and how they are relegated to the bottom of the emotional marketplace in certain cultural environments. When I was creating these works, my mind was filled with phenomena that I thought were unfair to single mothers, and I hope that when people see my works, they can feel the situation of women in such environments. I will continue to create work in the future that still uses anthropological language to explore the situation of women.

JY: How was studying and finishing your degree? What had the most impact on the work you made and make now?

LZ: I am about to graduate from Chelsea College of Art and Design with my MA this December, and I have really enjoyed my time at the school, we have had lots of workshops available to us, and we have been able to experiment with different materials in order to express our art, which has been exciting for me. My past marriage has had a very strong influence on my previous work, as my previous series mainly portrayed the story of my marriage, which was full of conflict and struggle. And now that I am a single mum, the role of a single mum has directly inspired my next work. I spend time with my son every day; his presence makes me think about the situation of women as single mums.

JY: Based on your experiences, do you have any problem-solving advice for other artists & designers?

LZ: All my inspirations come from my personal experience, marriage, or work. Artists must go through life to get inspiration and rethink, rather than staying at home in the studio, never going out to experience the complexity and beauty of the world and emphasising some unrealistic theories. 

JY: What are your immediate concerns or interests, both personally and professionally?

LZ: What I am most concerned about is how women have survived in this world throughout history and how they will survive in the future. By survival I mean their living conditions and social status.

JY: Do you have any questions for me, other artists, or anyone further afield?

In fact, if possible, I'd also like to see myself collaborating with some of the artists who do technological art, and I'd like to try my work with technology!




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