The weird and wonderful are often the most fun and Stella Zhang’s installation pieces of fabric and what look like giant knitting needles definitely fits into that category.
I like how she talks about using white for its flatness, delicacy, ethereal and quiet qualities.
I have no idea how those are suspended. They look like prickly butts to me. It’s funny to me that in her artist’s statement, Stella doesn’t directly reference the reproductive system or sexuality too much even but I encourage everyone to go explore the images on her pages and report back what they interpret. Stella repeatedly notes that she leaves her works open to individual interpretation.
Right?
I don’t think it’s an accident that the wood pieces she uses – like oversized toothpicks – are flesh colored but I might be reading too far into this. Born in Beijing and the child of a famous artist herself, Stella now works in the US (after years studying in Japan). Her training, interestingly, is in Chinese Brush Painting! I’m excited to see what she does next!
Tags: 3D, china, fabric, gender, installation, japan, phallic, sculpture, textiles, wood