Bound (2025)

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This double-sided Chinese ink painting on Italian Alcantara fabric with steel chains reflects the challenges women face in rural and urban communities around the globe. While they each face different modes of oppression, they also must overcome similar challenges.

Measuring 5 by 17 feet, "Bound" visualizes barbed wire on one side, suggesting an open, rural setting, and dense chains on the other, conveying the restraints of urban environments. The chains reflect urban institutional, industrial and social constraints women have historically (and continue) to fight to overcome. The barbed wire represents rural communities and traditional restraints on women. The broken chains and loose (hair) barbed wire represent the continual fight against these rural and urban boundaries.

Chained

This is an industrial and urban view covered with piles of chains and human hair. The

dense composition suggests the overpopulated cityscape with less room for personal

escape. The steel and hair symbolize the hard and soft power that women must

negotiate every day.

Barbed

Inspired by the Kansas landscape and history of barbed wire factory in Lawrence Kansas where artist resides, Zhang employs her trademark long hair in barbed wire fence to create an open space in a rural setting. These personal and powerful images not only represent confinement to animals and humans but also imply mistreatment to women in general across the globe. At the same time, she praises women who break free.

Roundup

Zhang painted barbed wire and razor wire in a circular composition with Chinese ink on Italian fabric in each piece and created two cowhides hanging with ropes.  The use of these materials refers to trap and contain both animals and humans like roundup the cattle or prisoners