Harper
Zhu

Bottom
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Moss on the Spirit, 2021.
Canvas, wood, moss, sticky note, dimensions variable.
Digital printing photographs taken on location in the forest.
Courtesy the artist.
Bottom
Press Play
Right
A group of portraits with sticky notes exhibit in the forest
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Moss on the Spirit, 2021.
Canvas, wood, moss, sticky note, dimensions variable.
Digital printing photographs taken on location in the forest.
Courtesy the artist.
Bottom
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Moss on the Spirit, 2021. Canvas, wood, moss, sticky note, dimensions variable.
Digital printing photographs taken on location in the forest. Courtesy the artist.
Bottom

Translation:

“He had long hair, he must be gay”

“She’s so bad, she didn’t even dress up”

“You can’t dream when you grow up”

“No one will want you when you’re over 30”

“You’re not fresh graduates so you are not so worthful”

“You’re not strong enough so you have depression”

Right
 combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Moss on the Spirit, 2021.
Canvas, wood, moss, sticky note, dimensions variable.
Digital printing photographs taken on location in the forest.
Courtesy the artist.
Right

Translation:

“It’s all for the money”

“A guy who do makeup is not a man”

“He had long hair, he must be gay”

“She’s so bad, she didn’t even dress up”

“You can’t dream when you grow up”

“No one will want you when you’re over 30”

“You’re not fresh graduates so you are not so worthful”

“You know nothing because you’re too young”

Bottom

Translation:

“You’re not strong enough so you have depression”

“You even don’t have a dream”

Right
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Moss on the Spirit, 2021. Canvas, wood, moss, sticky note, dimensions variable. Digital printing photographs taken on location in the forest. Courtesy the artist.
Bottom
 A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Moss on the Spirit, 2021.
Canvas, wood, moss, sticky note, dimensions variable.
Digital printing photographs taken on location in the forest.
Courtesy the artist.
Right

Translation:

“You’re too introverted”

“You’re a girl you can’t leave home too far away”

“A girl should look like a girl”

“Fat people are lazy and greedy”

Top
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Xinxin, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Left
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Yutian Zhu, Qingtuan, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Bottom
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Yutian Zhu, Xicai, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Right
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Xinxin, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Top
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Xicai, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Right
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Mimi, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Top
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Asteria, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.
Right
A combination of colour portraits and black and white body shots
Harper (Yutian) Zhu, Mimi, 2021. Digital photograph. Courtesy the artist.

About

The concept of moss is growing on my spirit came to mind during a half month of continuous rain. The anxiety caused by the outside world were sprinkled on my spirit like moss spores. After the nourishment of rain, the moss began to spread over my spirit. For this work, I find people aged 20 to 25 who were also in a bad mood from the Internet and took a series of portraits for each of them. After several talking, I found that their worries were similar. They are affected by too many external voices, but they have not clear their own needs. Society has standardized answers of what it means to be a man, a woman, and over20, and these often become things that weigh on us. Therefore, in the final exhibition, I moved the pictures to the forest on a rainy day. Except for the moss, I also glued sticky notes written with sentences about bias on the surface. Then I recorded the process of the notes being blown away until none left. If “standards” are the moss attached to the spirit, wish everyone has the courage to tear off the labels and follow hearts.

Bio

Harper Zhu was born in 2000 and is based in Hangzhou, China. She is currently studying a Bachelor of Visual Arts at the University of Sydney.

Alexandra
Jonscher

Jan
Garben

Milk Acid

Causality

Keesha Catherine
Field

Morgan
Hogg

Omi
Shen

Asset 1

Emily
Yu

Walk Out

Hansul
Park

Anastasia
Karageorge

Zitong
Wang

Vanessa
Lin

Clement
Kwok

Fuchen
Xu

Happy Birthday

Helinda
Yu

Gia
Biocca

Rachel
Feng

Astrid
Xie

Grace
Gao

The Maths Problem

Jessica
Lu

Max
Durham

Judy
Lin

Grace
Chung

Sunnie
Cao

Cherise
Yang

Harper
Zhu

Sarah
Drew

Lucy
Thurston

The Medal

The Silent Voice

The Circle 

China Dialect

Gabrielle
Cook

Morgan
Wang

So Long

Gabe
Wahl

Shurong
Shi

Anna
Tago

Sinta
Wijaya

Kiara
Sarusi

Yixi
Lin

Bronte
Cormican-Jones

Benita
Laylim

Mila
Feng

Maria
Ochoa

Nami
Taylor

Charlene
Qu

Edwina
Darling

Pengfan
Lin

Unfair Love ​

Róisín
Spencer

Ida
Combley

Zhiqing
Peng

Isabelle Bianca
Virrey

Jihoo
Yoon

Charne
Greyling