Big I [ Wall cutout on wall. The wall is 16ft x 13ft, the cutout is 1.5ft x 8ft. A piece of a wall is cut out and pulled into the space by 1/2in.]

Big I [ Wall cutout on wall. The wall is 16ft x 13ft, the cutout is 1.5ft x 8ft. A piece of a wall is cut out and pulled into the space by 1/2in.]

Big I (detail)

Big I (detail)

The Blind [A found blind is hung on a large wall. The wall is 32ft x 13ft, the blind is in proportional dimensions of 13ft x4ft.]

The Blind [A found blind is hung on a large wall. The wall is 32ft x 13ft, the blind is in proportional dimensions of 13ft x4ft.]

The Blind (detail)

The Blind (detail)

Hole in a wall [First a hole is punched in a wall with a hammer. Then a photograph is taken of the area and printed out on a piece of paper, which is in turn placed back on the wall at the exact location. Since all patterns match up, the paper all o

Hole in a wall [First a hole is punched in a wall with a hammer. Then a photograph is taken of the area and printed out on a piece of paper, which is in turn placed back on the wall at the exact location. Since all patterns match up, the paper all of a sudden seems to transform itself into a transparency material, or something else that questions the viewer to believe if there is really a hole behind.]

Hole in the wall (detail)

Hole in the wall (detail)

The Pillar [The plywood covers the actual pillar as a snuggly tight skin, revealing the pillar by concealing it.]

The Pillar [The plywood covers the actual pillar as a snuggly tight skin, revealing the pillar by concealing it.]

As Is [The ambient sounds from the bustling Mission Street are funneled through the two speakers inside the gallery, placed at a distance away from the window where a wireless microphone is placed in plain view. The disembodied sound creates a pe

As Is [The ambient sounds from the bustling Mission Street are funneled through the two speakers inside the gallery, placed at a distance away from the window where a wireless microphone is placed in plain view. The disembodied sound creates a perceptual disorientation in the viewers.]

As Is (detail) [A wireless microphone is placed outside of a window.]

As Is (detail) [A wireless microphone is placed outside of a window.]

The Wall [A picture is taken of an area of a wall in the gallery, then printed on a piece of paper in life size. Then the paper is pasted back on the same area on the wall, making sure all patterns match up.]

The Wall [A picture is taken of an area of a wall in the gallery, then printed on a piece of paper in life size. Then the paper is pasted back on the same area on the wall, making sure all patterns match up.]

As the Butterfly Said to Chuang Tzu

A Solo Exhibition at MISSION 17, San Francisco, 5/26 - 7/1/06

An excerpt from the catalogue essay by Clark Buckner -

“The title of the show, As The Butterfly Said To Chuang Tzu, announced it as a study in perception. The Taoist sage Chuang Tzu famously dreamed he had turned into a butterfly. When he awoke, he couldnʼt help but wonder whether it was he, who had dreamed of becoming a butterfly, or the butterfly, who had dreamed of becoming Chuang Tzu. Zhengʼs concerns in the exhibition were primarily epistemological. He was interested in how we know what we know. And the show focused specifically on questions about framing, and how shifts in seeing aspect shape experience.”

Each piece in the show uses some aspect of what already exists in the gallery. Together they confound the viewers’ experiences and question their perception.

Clark Buckner’s essay does a thorough job deconstructing the show. The reviews in the following publications also give different perspectives on various aspects of these works.

Sculpture Magazine, by Terri Cohn
Shotgun Review, by Scott Oliver
Artweek, by Colin Berry
Art | Fever, by Bob Callaway

The exhibition catalogue is available on Amazon.com. And is free to download.

 
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