Lucy Zhang

奶奶山 - Lucy Zhang Acrylic on canvas
48.5’ x 38.5’

This work was inspired by my 奶奶 (paternal grandmother), who was a single mother of three living in the mountains of rural China. She built the house she is standing in front of with the help of neighbors. Instead of doors, blankets were hung in the entryways. I wanted to capture the visual contrast between these soft textiles billowing in the wind and the fortitude and of the house and my grandmother. There is a nearby mountain the villagers call “奶奶山” (Paternal Grandmother Mountain), and I thought that was a really sweet moment of connection and oneness between my family and the landscape there. Images from stories my dad has told me and my own memories from visiting our village also appear throughout the work.