We recently connected with Lite Zhang and have shared our conversation below.

Lite, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Space and audience interaction are important to me, more important than mere visual effect. I love converting existing objects and topics into my own unique vision. Through my research and contemplation of reflecting on objects, I strive to provide my audience with a completely sensory experience. I engage different senses with the addition of auditory, tactile, and immersive components in my installations to more fully engage with my audiences. I transform the driftwood into a living form, the grass into an art label, and thereby invite the audience into a part of the artwork. Intervening in the stage of perception is the most direct way for me to create a dialogue with my audience, to regenerate a surreal fantasy by changing or replacing the original perception and thinking. Cognition refers to the process of understanding the world through perception, thinking, memory, and logical reasoning. I believe that human cognitive ability begins with perception, which leads to the acquisition of knowledge and insights.
I have also redefined many traditional Chinese folk arts and presented them in a contemporary 3D language. I am passionate about exploring the infinite possibilities of common materials, even trash, to express my thoughts and observations of different social phenomena in different forms and properties.

Lite, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was born into an artistic family, and both my parents have unique views on art. Creativity and imagination have always been the driving force behind art creation for me. Constantly trying new things and stepping out of one’s comfort zone, I think it is the easiest quality to shine in this era. My undergraduate study was at Maryland Institute College of Art. The beginning of the undergraduate course is the real contact with systematic art education for me. My first major was Painting, but during this time I have been trying to take classes in different majors. From Drawing, Painting, and Pringmaking to Sculpture, Ceramic, and Fabric. Gradually I discovered my preference for three-dimensional art. So during my undergraduate period, I switched from majoring in Painting to General Fine Art, and finally graduated from the Department of Sculpture and Department of GFA.
Now I am still studying in Maryland Institute College of Ar, as a graduate student of Rinehart School of Sculpture. The current art research is more inclined to public art and installation art. Space and audience interaction are important to me, more important than mere visual effect. I love converting existing objects and topics into my own unique vision. Through my research and contemplation of reflecting on objects, I strive to provide my audience with a completely sen sorry experience . I engage different senses with the addition of auditory, tactile, and immersive components in my installations to more fully engage with my audiences. I transform the driftwood into a living form, the grass into an art label, and thereby invite the audience into a part of the artwork.
Intervening in the stage of perception is the most direct way for me to create a dialogue with my audience, to regenerate a surreal fantasy by changing or replacing the original perception and thinking. Cognition refers to the process of understanding the world through perception, think ing, memory, and logical reasoning. I believe that human cognitive ability begins with perception, which leads to the acquisition of knowledge and insights.
I have also redefined many traditional Chinese folk arts and presented them in a contemporary 3D language. I am passionate about exploring the infinite possibilities of common materials, even trash, to express my thoughts and observations of different social phenomena in d different forms and properties.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

It is quite difficult for me in general. Most challenging is language. One is the language of self-expression, and the other is the acceptance of different artistic languages in different cultural backgrounds. As an international student/artist, different cultural backgrounds and languages bring about different ways of thinking. How to properly present one’s inner thoughts to the audience is undoubtedly the most difficult point for an artist to figure out. I may still be finding this balance to this day.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think that as an artist, I don’t have an actual goal to pursue. Instead, I am constantly changing my goals. People are constantly changing, whether psychologically or physically, both will change with time, place, and events. It is these constants that make each of us unique. This also exists for artists. The materials and ideas of the work are constantly changing, but I think the only thing that has not changed is my desire to express myself. This is also the motivation for me to continue to create. I think there is essentially no difference between writers, musicians, and artists. We all express our thoughts or feelings through different media.

Contact Info:

• Website: LiteZhang.com
• Instagram: RitterZhang
• Facebook: RitterZhang
• Linkedin: RitterZhang