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Gracey ZhangResidence Period: 2025.02.04-2025.03.03 |
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Residence Plan (Artist's Statement)
I firmly believe that children's ways of storytelling are vessels for some of the most interesting and experimental visual languages, and I hope to be able to carry that continuous thread of exploration in the world of fine art paintings.
My interest in painting lies in the idea of art as a time capsule, how storytelling, rituals, and daily life is often tangentially tied to art history. Most of my subjects are focused on the observational figurative. I'm currently on a year-long sabbatical and have been using that time to see as much as possible. Time spent at previous residencies has created wonderful experiences and creative output, including the Despina Artist Residency in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Maison des Auteurs in Angoulême, France. At Air 3331, I hope to create a body of paintings that reflect a thread of observed connection.
Artist Profile
Selected CV:
1. The New York Times/New York Public Library 'Best Illustrated Children's Books' (2022)
2. Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award Winner for Lala's Words (2022)
3. Maison des Auteurs Artist Residency, ANGOULÊME (2019)
Base of Activity: New York
Media Used: Oil paints, canvas, ink
Gracey Zhang is an award-winning illustrator, author, and animator with a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. She received the Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Award for her debut picture book, Lala's Words. Her clients include The New York Times, NBC, NPR, VICE, and others. Gracey has also illustrated The Big Bath House, Nigel and The Moon, and The Upside Down Hat which was a recipient of The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2022.
Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, she has participated in artist residencies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Angoulême, France. Gracey is now based in New York where she can be found working from her Brooklyn studio.