Zhang Peng

(Chinese, b. 1981)
Art is not limited to any particular media. You can use many techniques to express an idea. I use photography because I often have ideas that I think would be lost in the process of painting. I began to like photography when I was young and began creating photographs in March 2006. Many people told me not to do photography, however, I insisted on what I thought was right and tried my best to engage with this new media.

In a broad sense, all of my works demonstrate a kind of oppression. If conditions allow, parents plan a future that they think will be good for their child. If they are not wealthy enough, they hope their child will have a skill and then they force him to develop it. During the course of his growth, the child’s character is distorted by the inappropriate pressures of his parents and his school. The appearances of my figures drift between real people and dolls. The image is aesthetic but I also want to reinforce the strong sense of distortion.

We were simple and pure when we were young. There was no competition at that time and people earned the same amount of money and were friendly to each other. However this is not the case anymore. Relationships are frozen behind countless skyscrapers. The situation of the past is more ideal to me. It is a shame that the values of the past are long gone and money is now influencing everyone.

I studied painting for many years and I have a good sense of color and structure. My girlfriend who studied film has given me a lot of advice a well. In my work, I often integrate the techniques of painting, film and photography. I modified the eyes of the girls so that I could get the facial proportions I want. At the same time, it also subtly implies the infiltration of plastic surgery. Many beautiful things you see are not that real any more. What lies beneath the beauty and magnificence is endless pain that no one ever knows.

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