We were lucky to catch up with Zijun Zhao recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zijun, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

“A Joyful Funeral (喜丧)” in the Chinese traditional sense refers to the death of the elderly without disaster and disease, but I keep thinking that if people are old, their appearance and physical function are not as young as they are, and they have many troubles with the growth of age for no reason, so why is it “喜” （joy）?

Therefore, the work “喜丧” is my understanding of death, even a good wish. The mainline’s meaning and expression are pushed from the lower right corner to the upper left corner.

The mourners, memorial tablets, altar, white sails, and blown paper money are in the lower right corner. Her vision is only limited to the root of the tree. At the same time, her world and fantasy are separated by the tree. The posture of the three gods connects their bodies, indicating a cycle in which the material absorbed by the tree roots from the ground rises, blooms, and connect to the ground again. At the same time, it is a person’s life – from nothing to blooming, returning to the earth. The sad expression in the mirror in the goddess’s hand on the far left is that I have observed many people, including myself, are always sad when trying to think about death, even on a national level. The fish with a human face in the middle is the cycle and dependence of water and life – breaking away from the water but returning to the water.
The giant’s face on the left, with cold skin, was a woman who began to die. Her tears and last breath turned into another form of life – what she wanted to become and become again; The image of boating in the lower-left corner comes from ancient Greek mythology. When people die, they will cross the Styx River by boat. In the middle of her forehead is the exit of her soul. It becomes a moth. Many older people in China say that people will become giant butterflies or moths to visit their relatives after death. However, I think death is just a random point in the infinite cycle, neither the beginning nor the end, so there is nothing to worry about. Therefore, the death described as “喜”（joy） is not as good as turning into a bird and eating the concerns.

Zijun, 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?

Almost all my drawings are based on the recognition and pride of my Asian identity. Also conflict between real life and illusional world. Including my point of views on life and death, value and self cognition, losing my self and finding it back. Every drawing is a process of quarreling with myself that I am creating a world without logic but with order, where I have an opportunity to feel safe for facing up to myself.

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

I think creating is a great opportunity for others and me to learn about myself. I create different art works for each different mood and circumstance. My goal is to continue to maintain this state of being that makes me comfortable.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me this sense of accomplishment is a process of visualizing my thoughts step by step and finding people who resonate with me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/mosaz_zj
• Instagram: mosaz_zj