Louise Zhang is a finalist in the 2024 Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW with her work Tapestry: Lotus.
A first-time Wynne Prize finalist, Louise Zhang was inspired to record her experiences of sitting by the lotus pond in Sydney’s Royal Botanical Gardens. ‘The work was a practice in slowing down and simply being, offering reflection, and a motive for understanding and solace.’ Situated near the harbour on Gadigal Land, the pond is a site that Zhang has visited since childhood to discover new plants and to see what’s in bloom.
Tapestry: lotus is an intimate composition that melds storytelling with abstraction. Zhang captures the aquatic location in flourishes of blue and melting purple–pink. Large, calligraphic brushstrokes underlie flower petals painted with precision. ‘I like to play with focal points,’ she says, alluding to the perfect circle that frames a blossoming lotus.
‘I’ve reflected deeply on the concept of an “Australian landscape”, Zhang adds. ‘My artwork has been interpretated in this context but was never fully recognized as “Australian”, just like myself. However, I see my experiences with our landscape as inherently “Australian”, one intertwined with my [could add a descriptor here, if you feel appropriate] heritage.’
Louise Zhang
Tapestry: Lotus, 2024
acrylic on canvas
51 x 41 cm
