Meet Lissie Zhang of Brooklyn, New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lissie Zhang

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
At the age of 18, I decided to leave my hometown for a study-abroad opportunity at Bard College in upstate New York. Growing up as a city girl, I spent 4 years of my life living in the forest for the first time, learning a new culture, and most importantly exploring what art means to me. I am not from an artistic background, on the contrary, art was strange in my life besides the news from museums, or some basic knowledge of art history. Being an artist was not part of my life plan.
Like many other International students, I went through different struggles trying to have a life in a foreign country, especially during the time of pandemic. The idea of going home and hugging my mom was speaking loudly to me every day during COVID-19. However, struggles like nostalgic needs, financial issues or cultural alienation cannot stop me from pursuing my passion for the lens, the capturing of the moments. I have to carry on my journey although it could be tough and lonely, for it was a promise I made to myself during my first 4-years in college. It was the life and people there that taught me the importance of appreciating the world around me and expressing myself in the arts.
But which art mediums should I use to express myself? That was the first question I’ve encountered since, as mentioned above, I was not professionally trained. I was lost for a couple of months until I saw a poster from the campus center announcing the new registration for the Department of Photography led by Stephen Shore. Therefore I was introduced to the world of photography, following the guidance of my professors who are all excellent artists, and committing their lives to this career. I have been greatly inspired and have continued this journey since then.
My works often pay attention to the relationship between mundane subjects and their surroundings under natural lighting resources. I like to communicate through a sense of manipulation of the digital color, capturing the color I saw at a moment onto a photo paper, and eventually to a wall. I photograph my life, the views, the people, and the things with which I try to have an intimate relationship. Through this project, I got the chance to view life from diverse perspectives, exploring how arts can have an impact on me.
Currently, I am studying for a master’s degree at New York University in Visual Arts Administration, applying theories for photography to fields like exhibition curation, photo collection management, and so on. It is also going to be my seventh year moving to the United States. As a female immigrant, as the first generation of my future family, I am open to future possibilities and challenges with my camera.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I learned about Asian photographers when I was already a junior in college back in 2021. After hearing the professor’s presentation on coupe Asian photographers’ works, I wrote down a note for her via Zoom “Thank you for introducing them to the class. It’s my first time feeling included in this community, instead of being an outsider or just a learner”. That lack of education and attention to the culture that I represent during my young adulthood has pushed me further to walk out of my comfort zone so that I am prepared enough for similar issues or even more serious situations. It’s okay to work harder than the other to get recognition, it’s fine to submit my application again and again. But it does not mean other artists who share a similar background as mine feel the same. I realized the harsh fact of how emerging immigrant artists survive in New York: not enough attention, not enough trust in their commissions, and not enough support to maintain. Sometimes, it is just hard to make my voice heard.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I mainly work with Hasselblad digital medium format camera and digital color printing in the studio. I have been practicing a personal project for 6 years, documenting my life traveling around the world.
I have been honored to attend a couple of group exhibitions in New York like La MaMa Galleria, Latitude Gallery, and The Living Gallery, and hosted one solo show at Woods Studio in Upstate New York. Due to the graduate program, I have postponed the plan to establish an online platform for emerging Asian artists to present their studios and works of art. But I cannot wait to promote the community I am proud of and the amazing works that are unseen.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I would say I am still a beginner in my career, exploring what is the right direction for me to reach my goal. But it is important to continue and refuse to give up even though there are issues impossible to solve, we still cannot neglect the power of helping each other and building a unified community.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naupathia/

Image Credits
Lissie Zhang’s works “Untitled” from 2019 to 2023, www.lissiezhang.com