Gazing at a Waterfall, 2023
42 x 26 x 61” & 16 x 10 x 30”
Resin, stone, water, glass, incense, smoke, water pump, atomizer, and paint
日照香炉生紫烟
遥看瀑布挂前川
飞流直下三千尺
疑是银河落九天
望庐山瀑布/Gazing at a Waterfall on Mount Lu
by 李白/ Li Bai
Sunlight illuminates Incense Burner Peak, kindling violet smoke;
from afar, a waterfall hangs before the river.
Water flies straight down three thousand feet—
Has the silver stream of our galaxy plunged from highest heaven?
Translation by Tiana Wang
Gazing at a Waterfall is an installation of mountains painted in shades of blue, green and turquoise. The work includes a water fountain that mimics a rock formation emitting fog and two mountains forms with waterfall incenses streaming down. The entrance of a house is often considered the mouth of qi (energy) in feng shui: an entryway for opportunities and energies in the home and our lives. Placing a water fountain in the entrance of homes is believed to attract positive qi and as a result, they are commonly seen in businesses, offices and spas and other areas that wish to invoke feelings of life, prosperity, tranquility and peace.
The work draws from Zhang’s experiences of seeing these fountains at the entrances of East-Asian spaces in North America, her visit to Mount Lu, and the vibrant landscapes in Chinese animations such as Calabash Brothers (1986), Havoc in Heaven (1961) and Nezha Conquers the Dragon King (1979). In this piece, Zhang experiments with a sculptural approach to blue-green shan shui (blue-green landscapes), an ancient style of Chinese landscape painting using vivid mineral dyes, through the use of kitsch décor.
Installation images by Darren Rigo.
This project was made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
