Qian Zhong

Painting (MA)

Sanctuary-Like she was never there — Sanctuary presents two headless, glittering female figure leading two adorned dogs through a ballroom-like space. One snarls, the other glances back—ornaments in motion, caught between control and chaos. Is this lavish party a place of refuge, or a shimmering illusion?

Party series — A shimmering wall---depicting a different part of woman body, Most of them are fragmented, adorned, and partially obscured—present yet elusive. It reflects the tension between being looked at and being understood, embodying the emotional contradictions of desire, exposure, and identity construction.

I could be forever — Depicting a mannequin-like female body, this work reveals the tension beneath shimmering attire—where glamour conceals discomfort, and the figure oscillates between being seen and being erased.

A flicker here, a shadow there; Do you just stand and stare? — This diptych depicts two sleek-coated dogs, each adorned with glittering ornaments—diamonds, hair clips, and decorative patches. These embellishments suggest a shift in desire from human relationships to pets, turning them into carriers of projection, control, and care. The dogs evoke the lifestyle of the wealthy class, embodying a blurred space between affection and possession, intimacy and dominance.

About

Qian Zhong (b.1995, Sichuan, China). Her practice centers on themes of female identity, desire, and psychological tension, using symbolic and emotionally charged imagery to explore the duality between glamour and emptiness. Zhong’s paintings often depict fragmented bodies and surreal compositions that reflect inner conflict and the complexities of self-representation. Prior to her MA, she founded a studio in Chengdu focused on public and community-based art. While her current focus is on painting, her background in large-scale mural work continues to inform her sense of space and visual impact.

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