Wander Around | Xinyu Zhang ’05
April 20–Aug. 11, 2019 | UA Museum of Art
Xinyu Zhang with Untitled (part), paper sculpture, 144 inches by 120 inches by 100 inches, 2019
Using a combination of materials, artist Xinyu Zhang, who earned her MFA from the University of Arizona, explores the ever-increasing roles that technology plays in humans’ daily lives. She paints the figures with acrylic paint, the texture of the paint referencing the physical nature of the human body. The digitally created environment in which the figures wander symbolizes the virtual worlds that people now inhabit.
In some of Zhang’s works, digital elements create barriers between people — they wander alone, oblivious to one another. In other pieces, the human figures interact despite and perhaps even because of the digital elements. These two modes of representation serve as a metaphor for the duality of technology itself. Technology keeps us connected and informed about our world. People have found family, rekindled friendships and networked in ways that were never possible before. Yet there are fundamental concerns with these forms of communication. Are our virtual relationships physically isolating? Is technology inhibiting our ability to form deep connections with one another?
This project is supported by a grant from the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona.
To see more paintings in the exhibit, visit xinyuzhang.com.