Louise Zhang
About
Work
Public Art
Design
CV
Contact
2019 - 2021
Main Library, Level 2 lift foyer
University of New South Wales
Assistant: Dylan Batty
Louise Zhang's Waves of chrysanthemums is the first commission of the UNSW Library Alumni Mural Program. Created by Chinese-Australian artist Zhang, this public mural is in the lift foyer of Level 2, UNSW Main Library. Waves of chrysanthemums is rich in Chinese and Western symbolism; larger-than-life chrysanthemums overlay a fantastical imagined landscape of rising suns and raining liquid forms in rich and seductive colours. Many of these symbols are found throughout Zhang's work and embody a duality of meaning, such as the rising red sun. Zhang first saw a red sun rising in the sky while visiting family in China in 2016, describing it as "apocalyptic … but in China, it is seen as beautiful and sublime." Drawing from her experience as a "third culture kid" Zhang reconciles her Chinese and Western identities through an interplay of colour, form and scale, asking us as viewers to question what we 'see' and how this is informed by our lived experiences, family background, education, friends and beliefs.