Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to ZeWei Peng. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

ZeWei, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I want to share a series of projects I’m working on, but I’m not sure they’re meaningful.

I hope the series is based on something that consistently connects our traces, histories and environments. For my practice in New York City I took a pair of my SHOES and JACKET and did something to them in the simplest way possible, i.e. temporarily removing the usability of the objects or adding their useless or decorative components. At the same time, I retain their sustainable nature, so they will not remain “inactive” indefinitely in one place. I feel that when they are suspended, those things that are disregarded when they are used as tools come to the fore and also they are ready to be put to use again.

SHOES: I bought these shoes in China, but they were made in the U.S.A. I joke it means “Using”, “Showing”, “Again”. I take off the shoes, untie the laces, and snap them somewhere. The soles become objects to be gazed at, those creases, scratches, water stains, dirt, grass, gravel, urine, cigarette ash…… every road I’ve travelled. Then I re-tie the laces again, leave, and set out on the road ahead.

JACKET: This is my father’s M65 jacket with my hand-stitched Chairman Mao statue and Communist Party flag from Andy Warhol. There are several layers of conflicting styles and images, and I want them to collide, mix, and reach a balance or to cancel each other out. Ultimately, it comes down to what a jacket really is: don’t catch a cold.

What are the relationships and boundaries between artworks and objects or commodities? How do they narrate the connection between personal life and the world?

Maybe the answers to these questions don’t matter, but for now I’m happy to see a simple and powerful transformation taking place in there. This project is still ongoing…

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born 2002 in China.

As I finished my last series of painting at the age of 17, I began to move on to other field. This exploration manifests in various forms such as photographs, collages, sculptures, and beyond.

In 2023 I dropped out of school and went to New York to continue my journey.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Having a particular goal or mission on the creative journey can mean to set a limitation and misdirection for me. I believe that the forces which really drive me are hard to articulate, like a myriad of inexplicable desires.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect for me is the opportunity to reflect on myself via my works, and knowing I might be able to breakthrough.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pengzewei.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imagemor?igsh=Njh3andodDhpcjFm&utm_source=qr