Zhang Nakchun

We humans are exposed to countless and never ending experiences throughout our lifetimes.
This is Zhang’s philosophy: lives remain non-linear, vast, and infinitely growing. To mimic this
law of living, the artist explores the use of different materials to experiment with texture beyond
color within his paintings. The use of legos or toys in his work awakens beloved memories of the
explosive freedom in creation he possessed as a child. Opposingly, he also speaks about the
rigidity and limitations of adult life by often incorporating wire into his reliefs. The nature of wire
is to bend, fold, and straighten when asked to do so–just like the conformity to the norms of
maturity. However, allowing oneself to take breaks when life becomes too rigid or difficult is also
important to learn within adulthood, and he provides little respites from all the roughness on his
canvas with the use of soft fabric. Humans always need fulfillment in their lives, but life looks
different for everybody. He believes that keeping a childlike whimsy, practicing a responsibility to
adapt to a modern society and the people within it, and recognizing a need for breaks all aid in
the pursuit of a happy and sophisticated adulthood.