Zherong Hu

Art Statement

My work originates from my life experience and memories, growing up in China. Chinese history, culture and food have had a tremendous impact on my work. I am interested in how to use cultural elements to combine the history of ceramics and contemporary art to produce cultural influence, and I always use this as a basis to create works of art. I care more about is the feedback from the tasters. I am curious about how to find the connection between food, dishes, diners, and culture. When I mix Hangzhou’s food cultures and Part of the Song Dynasty's characteristic dishes style into my work, my purpose is to stimulate people's impression and understanding of Chinese food culture.

Food is one of the special unique symbols that can represent each different city. I am interested in a variety of indigenous cuisines in each city. They are using various methods to cook some food ingredients. It is like the works of art we make, using the same raw material to make different things. My main inspiration for this one came from my own hometown-Hangzhou. The place where I grew up, the food and the scenery are deeply engraved in my mind. The top ten spots around West Lake were used as the features of the pottery, and the food was chosen to be the most local. I intend to use my work and food to evoke my own memories, and I also try to use this way to let more people know about my hometown and country.

Bio

Zherong Hu was born and raised in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. In high school he was an art student at Hang Qi Zhong and received his BFA at Michigan State University in 2019. He is a ceramic artist who draws inspiration from the food and landscape of his hometown to emphasize traditional Chinese culture through the interaction with traditional Chinese dishes. He works primarily with ceramics, painting, and photography. In the 2018 summer, he studied abroad with Professor Peter Glendinning in England and France. Hu received the Carolyn J. Hook Scholarship in 2019 at MSU. Currently, Hu is an MFA candidate at Syracuse University.