Art
#metal #sculpture #steel #water #Zheng Lu
March 16, 2023
Kate Mothes
“Water in Dripping – Group of Warblers” (2022), stainless steel, 102 3/8 x 68 7/8 x 122 inches. All images © Zheng Lu, shared with permission from HOFA Gallery
By harnessing the energy of moving water, Zheng Lu’s metallic sculptures appear frozen in time. The Beijing-based artist defies utilitarian or industrial associations with steel and creates tensions between the material and the fluid forms. Challenging our expectations and understanding of physics, smooth, chrome-like surfaces reflect the surroundings and change in the light as the viewer moves around them, further contributing to the perception that the sculpture itself is in motion. In some of the works, Zheng composes surfaces of thousands of Chinese characters derived from historical texts and poems, nodding to early Chinese philosophers who studied physical principles in the natural world to better understand cosmological mysteries.
Zheng’s exhibition Flowing narratives runs 16 to 29 March at the HOFA Gallery in London, and marks the artist’s first exhibition in the UK, and you can find more of his work on his website.
“Dripping Water – Heart Flower” (2022), stainless steel, 39 3/8 x 35 3/8 x 61 3/8 inches
Detail of “Dripping Water – Heart Flower”
“Water in Dripping – Yong” (2019), stainless steel, 92 7/8 x 30 1/4 x 40 1/2 inches
“Water in Dripping – Music and Dance” (2022), stainless steel, 59 x 40 1/8 x 76 inches
“Dripping Water – The Water is Still” (2022), stainless steel, 61 x 48 3/8 x 92 1/2 inches
Detail of “Dripping Water – The Water is Still”
“Dripping Water – Winter Rain” (2019), stainless steel, 46 1/2 x 48 x 76 3/4 inches
#metal #sculpture #steel #water #Zheng Lu
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