Zheng Chongbin: I Look for the Sky

“Experiencing the world is a cognitive journey.” — Zheng Chongbin

How do artists think about space? That question animates the site-specific installation I Look for the Sky by Marin County–based artist Zheng Chongbin (b. 1961). In dialogue with the museum’s transformation project, I Look for the Sky explores how the manipulation of light can profoundly change our perception of architectural space.

As an artist trained in classical Chinese figurative painting at the China Academy of Art who went on to study performance, installation, and conceptual art at the San Francisco Art Institute, Zheng brings a singular approach to contemporary art.

I Look for the Sky, suspended below the skylights in Bogart Court, comprises panels that vary in transparency and pattern that direct the flow of natural light and manipulate visual sightlines to create a novel spatial experience. Zheng was interested in engaging with ideas of transparency and the free flow of light that architect Gae Aulenti emphasized in her 2003 renovation of the museum building that once served as the city’s Main Library. Zheng’s exploration of transparency and light as mediums is also influenced by the Southern California Light and Space artists of the 1960s and 1970s.

I Look for the Sky invites you to bring a new awareness to your environment.

Image: Installation view of I Look for the Sky, Asian Art Museum. Photograph © Asian Art Museum.