In a new exhibition opening this month, Zhidong Zhang explores identity amidst censorship in his native country. See more:
tattoos and bright nail polish. “I found myself interested less in the subjects themselves than the referential tableaux and the representational system that frame them,” Zhang explained in an artist statement.Natural Impersonation, alongside three other Chinese photographers: Zheng Andong, Ye Wuji, and Wang Yingying.
There's a younger generation of artists from China studying abroad — sometimes they go back to China to make work there and really struggle staying. I think that what we’re doing is really exciting; we’re trying to challenge the norms, even though there’s so much pressure. The point is just to keep trying, and keep opening our eyes to all these possibilities.
Most of the time, I’m negotiating with my own upbringing through an active reconfiguration, which is inseparable from the structure of censorship. One silver lining, in the midst of all the frustrations, is that queer identities in China have become increasingly visible — the government’s elusive policy towards homosexuality actually provides space for the formation of queer community and activist networks.