Diffused Mantle (Sterculia) combines a recognizable botanical form with the visual logic of digital layering, creating a composition that feels both familiar and unexpected. The Sterculia flower, found across tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, is transformed through Zhang’s layering of organic shapes, bold colors, and references to digital image-making. Zhang is interested in the classification of plants and how their names often reflect shifting societal values, providing clues to underlying biases, value systems, and structures of power. By combining a familiar natural form with the layered logic of digital imagery, Zhang transforms the Sterculia into something new and invites viewers to see familiar things from a different perspective, much like the confluence of cultures, ideas, and communities. The work reflects Zhang’s broader interest in how images, identities, and meanings can shift and evolve as different influences come together.
