Vivien Zhang showcases her latest work at a new exhibition using the natural world to explore her experiences of migration.
Opening at Pilar Corrias in London on 9th October, Vivien Zhang’s Flat Earth exhibition explores cultural assimilation and our flawed view of the world.
In a packed gallery in central London on Wednesday night, visitors sheltering from the city’s pattering rain explored Vivian Zhang’s new Flat Earth Exhibition. Her large paintings dominated the walls of the gallery. Some were mounted on sculptures designed by Zhang taking the work from 2D to 3D.
This challenge to the typical painting showcases the fascinating nuances present in her Flat Earth exhibition.
Vivien Zhang is a Chinese-born artist who lives and works in London. She moved to the UK in 2008 after spending time in Africa and Thailand. This varied upbringing influences her art.
Several works depict the colourful butterflies using forms of evolutionary mimicry. Such as a harmless species evolves to mimic the appearance of a poisonous species that predators know to avoid. For Zhang, mimicry highlights the demands for authenticity and uniformity that migrants must navigate as they settle among ‘legitimate’ local residents.
Her patterns also emulate the ‘butterfly map’. An alternative to the regularly used Mercator projection, both take the 3D earth and create a 2D map. Unlike the Mercator projection with changes the sizes of countries, artificially increasing the size of those further from the equator like Europe, North America, and Russia, the butterfly map keeps the size of all countries more accurate.
Independently, Zhang’s paintings are beautiful. Drawing the viewer into the large, colourful, canvases. Within them, carefully chosen ideas explore flawed visual and scientific systems that shape how we see the world.
The exhibition is held at the Pilar Corrias Gallery at 51 Conduit Street in London. It will run until the 9th of November 2024.
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