Ziyi Zhai
About
Ziyi Zhai (b. 2000, China) lives and works in Beijing and London.
BA Fine Art , Capital Normal University，Beijing
MA Sculpture, Royal College of Art, London
Exhibitions：
“EVERYTHING IS TEMPORARY ” 3 Locks Brewery，London ，2023
“ HUNG, DRAWN & QUARTERED ” Standpoint Gallery，London， 2023
“WHERE IS OTHERS”（Solo Exhibition），WanHe Gallery，Beijing，2022
Statement
My practice focuses on exploring and expressing the emotional responses evoked by a variety of materials, and the directivity of the symbols attached to the daily materials.
In recent practice, I have attempted to illuminate the dilemmas individuals currently encounter through various forms of media and by re-examining the body's meaning as a subject.
I realize that our bodies and consciousness are undergoing unprecedented changes. The individual is reduced to a mere object, confined to a transparent and restricted space, defenseless, and ultimately stripped down to a fragile state. Humans, as individuals, are totally in the shadows.
Why not get angry when eggs are taken away
Why not get angry when eggs are taken away
The project explores the notion of bodily alienation, when human identity is reduced to that of a captive animal in a zoo and the body is left like a wasteland at the mercy of power and technology, where all bodily sensations and experiences are losing their meaning.
The silent horse outside the window in video, the thin chest, the dying man all suggest whether our bodies have long since melted away from within.Where does our heavy flesh go in these circumstances？
Medium: video
STAY BEHIND
STAY BEHIND（Excerpt）
Informational developments are weakening, alienating and even completely dissolving the corporeality of life. Sensory experiences are diminishing as people become increasingly immersed in the alluring realm of virtual reality. This quest for 'immortality' in an unreal world prompts us to face the crucial question of whether we will choose to remain rooted in our corporeal bodies.
Dance in video is transformed into a medium for reshaping bodily perception, reactivating the body's organs, reclaiming the body's senses and awakening us from the sensory intoxication of the virtual world. Through dance, we embark on a journey that not only saves but defends our physical existence.
Thanks to the collaborative dancer: Jiayi Fan
Text from the science fiction novel 'stay behind'
Medium: video
Oasis
Medium: mixed media
Size: 102*69cm