Chen Zhao thesis exhibition: 'WildArtifice'

Debuting his thesis exhibition WildArtifice, Chen Zhao (M.F.A. photography) presents a series of works navigating the intricate and contradictory relationship between industrial progress and the natural world. In scenes capturing suburban wildfires, dioramic museum displays, and highway roadkill, Chen Zhao’s indelible images record the ongoing struggle to balance humanity’s need for structure and nature’s discordant beauty.

Imbued with touches of humor and irony, each photograph reflects the delicate equilibrium of urbanization and technology coexisting with an untamed wilderness. Beyond simple documentation of our surroundings, Chen Zhao’s photography however expresses an exigency to reconnect with the environment meaningfully. Together, the works pinpoint a tension of control yet dependency, inciting profound commentary on the ever-evolving dynamic between humanity and the ecosystems we shape and are shaped by.

Opening reception: Friday, Oct. 18, 5–7 p.m.