ARTIST STATEMENT
Zelene Jiang Schlosberg cuts, paints, stacks and positions canvases to create hybrid works that dangle precipitously between painting and sculpture. Centered around body silhouettes as literal and symbolic sites of agency and resistance, the landscape-like works reveal a world both familiar and uncanny. Between the tension and illusion of real and unreal, the canvas feels reminiscent of memories, of yearning and loss. Her works are both vibrant and touching.
Jiang Schlosberg’s artistic influences include traditional Chinese ink painting, Renaissance altarpieces, and post-humanist literature that addresses issues of artificial intelligence and post-utopian societies. The living conditions of women globally and their role in art history remain essential grounding points in Jiang Schlosberg’s creation.
There is an intriguing paradox in her work. Baroque complexity competes with the void of each cut canvas; deeply symbolic imagery competes with the “emptiness” of Zen Buddhism and the “blank” in Chinese landscape painting. The stacking, juxtaposing, and layering in her works only add to this dialogue.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Zelene Jiang Schlosberg is a Chinese-American artist living and working in Chicago who has been hailed for her bold approach to art-making that has resonances in both painting and sculpture. Solo exhibitions include Chinese American Arts Council Gallery (NYC), North Central College (Illinois), University of Illinois at Chicago, East Central College (Missouri) and Woldt Gallery London. She has participated in numerous group shows, including Chicago Sculpture International, The Research House for Asian Art, Zhoub Art Center, The Art Center-Highland Park, CICA Art Museum Korea, and The Royal British Society of Sculptors in London. She was also a featured artist at the art-focused Michelin-starred restaurant, Esmé, in Chicago.
Her painting “Directions #0” was featured on the cover of composer John Liberatore’s 2018 debut CD album, “Line Drawings” (Albany Records), and her work “Contemplation” serves as the cover art for Grammy-Award winning Third Coast Percussion’s latest album, “Between Breaths,” released in September 2023 (Cedille Records). Her works can also be seen in Artist Talk Magazine (UK), Studio Visit (US), Art Market Magazine (Israel), World Journal (US) and Tsing Tao Daily (US), and on network TV (ABC News, Chicago). An enthusiastic lover of contemporary classical new music, she frequently collaborates with notable avant-garde musicians, who also collect her work, in addition to several museums. She has been a multi-year participant at Context Art Miami and Los Angeles Art Show. She also acts frequently as a curator, jurist and advocate in the art community, whether in Chicago, New York, and abroad.
© Zelene Jiang Schlosberg