Allegorical cacti float above a grid in a copper plate etching by Zhang Ruyi.
Ruyi uses cacti to represent herself. The 'forced separation' of organic forms and rigid systems is a consistent theme in her work, and she keeps a daily log of the plants she cultivates by sketching them onto graph paper.
Forced Separation transforms one of the artist's early drawings into a copper plate etching for the first time. This particular type of etching was her medium of choice as a student. In the artwork, a layered orange grid contains a row of cacti – rendered in a "state of dying" and reconfigured from life to fit within its constraints.
"The title is a relatively objective description. It represents an expression of performance and an individual's blurred emotions within a densely structured urban environment."
Unframed: 35.00cm (W) × 27.50cm (H)
Four colour polymer gravure etching, printed using two copper plates on 250gsm Velin Arches Blanc paper
Signed and dated (2022) by artist in lower right corner
Arrives with a certificate of authenticity
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