Working with painting and sculpture, Yusi Zang (b. Beijing, 1991) meticulously presents her sometimes somber, sometimes hilarious (often both) and always self-reflective vision of the world. Born in Beijing and having lived in Melbourne for the last 10 years, Zang finds herself somewhat ‘between cultures’, but I would suggest she probably wouldn’t be able to sit still no matter where she was.

Her paintings often find poignancy in arbitrary, ephemeral moments. A bodily smudge on a mirror, footprints on a chair, a dented car fender and, in this case, a ceiling fan having a break from rotation.

Zang’s sculptures are equal parts poetic and straightforward, often made with a combination of simple materials and activated with very funny titles, ‘My dad used to put walnuts in the door crack and close the door to crack them open’, for example.

Zang is currently a Gertrude Contemporary studio resident, and will be having a solo presentation at Gertrude Glasshouse mid next year. Later this month she will have a solo exhibition at Conners Conners and early next year she will participate in the Lorne Sculpture Biennale.