‘I created the works in this exhibition during 2022 while I lived in Beijing, when Beijing and China’s ‘pandemic control period’ was at its most serious and intense point. It was a year when almost every day was filled with sad news from all over China. There were also periods when people had to be ready to go into isolation at any given time, preparing food and necessities even though in a depressed state of worry and grief, I had to somehow coordinate my mentality and creativity. I’m sure that most people in China would feel the same way as me. During the days when I was stuck in this fragmented state of mind, I created the works for this exhibition.

The works in this exhibition are record of my thoughts during this period. It is my personal effort to contribute to the recording of history of our current times. The circumstances were very unsettling, and as a person deeply involved it was hard not to be affected. As a creator who strives to express myself honestly, I could not refrain from talking about this. For some reason, I am unable to express how I feel directly through only words.

Nowadays as Internet dominates life, the power of authority is not only reflected in life events, but also in high-frequency features of visual information revealed by these events. These features are conveyed through the internet and the reality of life, to build a shell of life within that period of time and space. One’s personal life is essentially forced filled by these high-frequency features. As myself, or as an individual, questions and thoughts like “how to use one’s creative expression to eliminate the power and pressure of these features”, as well as “how does one adapt and respond to them, and even transform this passive power pressure into a counteractive force?” are the things I tried to address with the works in this exhibition.’

– Zhong Wei

Wei was born in 1987 in Beijing, China, where he continues to live and work. His work has been acquired by the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nasantara (MACAN), Indonesia.

Courtesy of the artist and Jack Bell Gallery, London