张竞元
Cathy Zhang

A Bit About Cathy

Cathy Zhang is a Chinese artist and designer currently based in Chicago. She navigates diverse realms – fashion, industrial, scenic design, photography, styling, and performance. Using costumes, lighting, and staging, she shares the experiences that were thought of as “not worth mentioning” in daily conversations, inviting viewers into an immersive scene reenactment of her awkwardness and hardship she had to swallow. Her art practice delves into personal experience, exploring mental well-being and identity. Her meticulous attention to detail, often deemed unnecessary by some, becomes crucial in her work. 

In a fast world, Cathy attempts to challenge the notion that a slower pace diminishes the impact. Each work declares a rejuvenation, asserting the importance of narrative even at a different pace. She celebrates thoughtfulness, empathy, and subtlety, using her art to transcend a personal odyssey to foster connections. By sharing the reactions between her introspective and extrospective journey, she plants a seed in her art that individuals could find a confidant. This shared connection underscores the collective strength in embracing individual journeys. Cathy’s art is a dialogue between self and world, a visual manifesto of identity and mental exploration, a testament to resilience even in measured steps.