Past Exhibition

Art on Demand 7.1

Artist Yifei Zhang and Curated by Calvin Bergen
Jan 28, 2021
to
Mar 20, 2021
EXHIBITION
Yifei Zhang, Connections 1, 2020, ink on plant based paper, 24 x 18 in.
Yifei Zhang, Connections 2, 2020 ink on plant based paper, 24 x 18 in.

The integration of art and science is central to the work of Coquitlam-based biomedical researcher and visual artist Yifei Zhang, whose series of drawings titled Connections are inspired by her investigations into the circuitry of the brain. Featuring exuberant and spontaneous gestures of mark-making with ink on paper, the series offers both mimetic and metaphorical insights into Zhang’s scientific research.

Thanks in part to Zhang’s scientific background, all of Connections is unified by the artist’s research-based artistic practice that explores how the nature of neuronal connections might reveal truths about our own interpersonal connections. In exploring the parallels between neuronal and social networks, Zhang’s work embodies shifts perception from the micro- to the macro-scopic, resembling symbiosis — the interconnectedness of all things.

In her research, Zhang was struck by the resilience of neuronal networks. Comparing this to the perseverance of communities through the Coronavirus pandemic suggests a corollary: similar to neurons’ ability to withstand adverse conditions, a community’s resilience is dependent on growth and reconnection. Likewise there is hope that our relationships remain strong in spite of separation.

The Reach Art on Demand 7.1 Monograph

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