FeiFan Zhang is an artist and photographer whose work examines how human intentions often result in irreconcilable functions as oddly experienced spaces in the changing urban landscape. She received her MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago along with a BA in English Literature from Beijing International Studies University in Beijing, China, where she was born and raised. Her No Man’s Land series has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions internationally, as well as featured in various digital and physical publications in the US, Italy, UK, and Canada. She currently lives and works in Chicago, IL.
No Man’s Land
No Man’s Land is an exploration of irresolvable and un-relatable spaces – the dark cavities that populate the city. My interest in this subject began when I was living in Beijing and witnessed its renovation and the subsequent ambiguities of land usage. When I moved to Chicago in 2015, I was intrigued by similar issues, and I believe my explorations could have been undertaken in any number of urban settings. The phrase “no man’s land” is often understood as undetermined territory that stays unoccupied and suffused with fear and uncertainty. I am interested in representing how structured intentions coincide with perplexing functions that exist in the urban landscape, as well as how those uncertain functions impact the human experience. Employing spatial relations of elements, natural and artificial light, as well as color and weather conditions in large scale prints, I emphasize the characters of inaccessibility, uncertainty, deficiency, and even brutality found within these spaces. Ultimately, the work speaks to the tenuous relationship we have with the built environment and our attempts to reconcile the often-dysfunctional elements within the urban landscape.
To view more of FeiFan Zhang’s work please visit her website.