Iris Lingyu Zhang

             

Exhibitions

Articles

Projects

Polyhedron: Exploring the Fluid Interplay Between Self, Identity, and Environment

2022-2023Autoethnographical research project3 parts of practices 
Fluid Identity, Self-identity, Autoethnography, Materialty, Indivisual and Group, Feminist
Key writers and makers drawn upon include EL Anatsui, Ebony.G.Patterson and Anya Galaaccio with materiality, Cornelia Parker and Nick Cave with momentary caption, Forsyth, Donelson R with individual and group research, and education and individualist history in China.
The artist perceives herself as a container, a symbolized vessel, a medium, or as continuously becoming a medium—a cyborg matrix. Individual identity constantly dissolves and evolves in the flow, suggesting that absolute individual identity does not exist.
The remnants of flowers and hardware fittings from furniture consumption serve as metaphors for the tragic conclusion of the exploitation and domestication of women within the collective, revealing the suppression and exclusion of personal subjectivity in East Asian society. After extensive research and practice, the sorrowful paradox of individual and collective coexistence, as well as the rigidity of institutional and dogmatic structures, is ruthlessly exposed through symbolic representation.
Polyhedron tells the long journey of alienation and self-reconstruction experienced by the artist as a woman growing up under the dogma of East Asian culture. This self-portrait-like project rethinks materiality and the journey of objects, conducting a series of experiments, reflections, and critiques on the alienation of female identity within a multi-dimensional space of artistic expression, and re-examining the complex relationship between individual female identity and East Asian society.

No.219 (2023), Digital Collages printed on canvas, 100*77cm, with Symbols, Gestures, Containers, Flowers, and Me

No.219: 
Collage Printed with Neglected Self-Value



The question of "Who am I?" seems eternal, presenting individual variability and providing a microscopic view of the world. An individual's multifaceted identity is expressed through changes in their social groups. However, when one's sense of self fails to form, frequent shifts in identity can lead to the dissolution of the subject.


"I have habitually neglected my self-worth and lack the ability to assess it," says the artist. This stems from an education system designed to suppress individuality and promote collectivization. Rooted in China’s unique socio-political context and influenced by Soviet historical and ideological dissemination, this education is a product of the times, not an endeavor aimed at promoting human development.

In different groups, I embody different identities and manifest varied personas. When these groups intersect, a new, fused identity emerges. The fragmentation of identity leads to difficulties in transitioning between identities, both synchronously and across different stages. This phenomenon is described as Self-Categorization (Social Identity) (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1980).

We acquire multiple identities within different groups, each contributing to how we define ourselves within these social contexts. These identities may conflict with or integrate into our self-definition, making the fragmentation, confusion, and difficulty in transitioning between identities inevitable.
No.1520 (2022), Sculpture 20*20*20cm with Dried flowers, Hardwares, Discarded objects, Slime, Clay, Spray


No.9719 No.1202 No.2202 No.1520: 
De-individualization and the Imposition of Attributes


No.9719 (2022), Sculpture 20*20*20cm with Dried flowers, Hardwares, Discarded objects, Slime, Clay, Spray

The principles of compulsory education were discussed in Project No.219, and here the dichotomy between the learning patterns before high school and those of higher education is highlighted. The rapid expansion and massification of education have led to a disregard for the individual, focusing solely on the goal of higher education democratization. As a result, the confusion post-achievement and the division between two student identities become sources of pain associated with multi-layered identities.

From within, the purpose of the education I received was to strip away individuality and lead one towards collectivism. In this process, the habit and concept of self-reflection were taken away, leading to an ingrained tendency to act according to others' instructions and goals. This deprivation of self was willingly accepted, and even emotionally justified, as a form of self-sacrifice.
No.-1 (2022), Installation prototype 50*50*50cm, with Dried flowers, Hardwares, Discarded objects, Slime, Clay, Spray

No.-1: 
Self-Sacrifice and Collective Integration



I discovered that there seem to be invisible strings binding us together—strings that, in essence, reflect our silent compromises. These compromises manifest as subconscious compulsive behaviors aimed at maintaining an individual’s social identity within a group. Such relationships are built on the suppression or sacrifice of self, resulting in a choice to sacrifice when self-identity conflicts with social identity, under the belief that it maintains "peace," secures acceptance, and thus holds value.
In Chinese society, this mindset is partly rooted in the education system, which emphasizes "sacrificing the small self for the greater self," and partly from family teachings where parents instill similar values during upbringing. Many parents themselves embody these traits, perpetuating unhealthy psychological behaviors and thoughts that have been passed down through tradition.

Internally, we are bound by the satisfaction of self-sacrifice, stemming from the generational transmission of traditional Chinese values and the societal promotion of heroism. Externally, we are constrained by "responsibility," which is derived from our innate human need to align with group-assigned roles for survival—meeting our needs for connection, safety, and emotional fulfillment.

Thus, it can be concluded that we exist symbiotically with the group. As long as survival is the aim, absolute individuality and self cannot exist.





Relevant Works

Artworks ↗
 Kisen (2025)

 The Night I was on my Balcony (2025)

 Parasite (2025)

 Talking to him (2025)

 EMANON (2025)

 Reborn (2024)

 The Body in Blue (2024)

 Traces: ‘Free-assemblage making’ as a method to touch self-narrative (2024)

The Tent (2024)

 Will U Remember me? (2024)

 Won’t U Remember me? (2024)

 Comet Tail (2024)

 Null-Flux (2024)

 Sleeping in the wood (2024)
No.0-PI (2023)

 No.219 (2023)

 No.-1 (2023)

 No.9719 No.1202 No.2202 No.1520 (2023)
 Unknown Utopia (2023)

 A Punch on Tofu (2023)

 CSI;’‘’‘’‘’‘;’;/;;‘’/;‘;(2023)
Profile (Sample)
Iris Lingyu Zhang (b. 1997, Beijing) is a multimedia artist and researcher working between London and Beijing. Her emotionally immersive works span digital and installation-based media, exploring feminist inquiries into the body, space, and desire. Drawing on psychology and philosophy, her practice negotiates identity, intimacy, and cultural memory through porous visual forms.

Iris holds a Master of Research from the Royal College of Art and pursuing her second Master’s degree in Fine Arts at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has exhibited internationally, with recent shows including international Biennale THE WRONG, Visions in the Nunnery 2025 at London Bow Art Gallery,  Permeate in Vienna, and Instante in São Paulo. Her work has also been presented at IKLECTIK, Hundred Years Gallery, and The Handbag Factory, among others.
         
Email, Instagram ↗
Education
Master of Fine Art                         Sep 2026 -
Goldsmiths, University of London

Master of Research
Visual Communication                  Sep 2023 - Sep 2024
Royal College of Art
Exhibitions ↗
A Room for Unbecoming Women
The Handbag Factory, 3 Loughborough Street SE11 5TB
30.07.2026 - 03.08.2026

TABOO
Bradley House, 26 ST Albans LN, NW11 7QE                                 
23.07.2026 - 13.08.2026

THE WRONG International Biennale Transient Info
Virtual Worldwide
01.11.2025 - 31.03.2026

Visions in the Nunnery 2025
Bow Road & Nunnery Gallery, 181-183 Bow Road E3 2SJ
04.10.2025 - 09.11.2025

The Green Grammar
art'otel London Hoxton, 1-3 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DT
27.06.2025 - 29.06.2025

Pieces of Me
Artworks East Gallery, 32-34 Osier Way, E10 5SB
 06.06.2025 - 04.07.2025

Behind the Closed Doors – Safehouse, 137 Copeland Road SE15 3SN
31.05.2025 - 03.06.2025

Permeate – West/Alte WU, Augasse 2-6, 1090 Vienna, Austria
 29.03.2025 - 03.04.2025

Secret Salon: Electric Ladyland
Caveside Cl, Old Hill, Chislehurst BR7 5NL
14.12.2024
Instante
Echos Studio, Rua Pelotas, 400 - Vila Mariana, Sao Paulo, Brazil
07.12.2024 - 20.12.2024

The Dark Side
Boomer Gallery, 150 Tooley Street, London SE1 2TU
08.11.2024 - 13.11.2024

MYSTICAL
Fox Yard Studio, 6 Old Fox Yard, Stowmarket IP14 1AB
25.10.2024 - 05.11.2024

Sound Field Folding
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson St, London E2 8JD
  03.08.2024

MRes RCA 2024 Research Journeys
The Hanger Gallery, London SW11 4NL
26.07.2024 - 01.08.2024

Fragment for the Future; Movement
The Hanger Gallery, London SW11 4NL
29.04.2024 - 01.05.2024

Whispers of the Unseen: Sonic Alchemy
Iklectik, 20 Carlisle Lane, London SE1 7LG
13.12.2023
Press ↗
Ourculture Art&Photography: “In the syntax of pauses: Sensing the green grammar”     2025

FAD Magazine
“Behind the closed doors: Reconstructin the narrative of home in a crumbling house”.   2025

Divide Magazine issue 12                                                                                                                          2024

Collect Art Magazine winter issue seasonal edition                   2024

 Reflections of the Past, Visions of Tomorrow                                2024

Artistcloseup Magazine issue 25                                                       2024

Artistcloseup Blog individual interview                                            2024