Artist Statement
I believe that there will be many lights in our lives that bring warmth and hope. These lights may come from the care of family, the companionship of friends, or the kindness of strangers. They may also come from the time we spend enjoying doing something when we are alone. These lights, little by little, become the most precious energy brought into our lives, enriching and making our lives colourful.
Light, for me, is hope and a quiet power, like the winter sun gently warming every corner of the earth; it is the tranquillity and contentment in my heart. It is my love for life, my relentless pursuit of dreams, and the warmth and strength I feel from the care and protection of those around me. I hope that each of us can find our own warm light in our lives.
My paintings also depict childhood, myself sitting with my mother. I paint my dreams down on paper and bring them to reality. My life being continues, and my dreams will never end. I've come to understand my feelings about my current artistic journey at Elam School of Fine Arts. I now realise that the Rainbow Bridge world I imagined as a child is the free art world I have found through my artistic practice.
My childhood fascination with magic dreams has also led me to find a sense of belonging in my painting creation. I believe my paintings as my “magic” allowing me to freely construct my own fantastical artistic world.
Everything I learned from my feelings and perception was brought to me from my art journey. I followed my heart to paint and express my story through visual narrative. This is my dream. I hope everyone can find their dream in my painting. I named the two landscape version paintings (Three). Which means yesterday, today and tomorrow, as well as the past, present, and future. We are all journeying through our own timelines. I believe dreams are not just dreams; they will be real.
These paintings capture moments from my daily life: childhood memories, the immersive moments spent alone enjoying my favourite things, the blissful times my mother cooks for me, and the cosy coffee time with friends. These are all inspirations of warmth and energy that add to the happiness in my life. I use paintings to record these beautiful moments created my graphic novels and narrate my stories through my personal pictographic painting language. I hope that my paintings can encourage everyone to cherish and appreciate the beauty in their own lives.
About the Artist:
Mengdi Zha (b. 2000, Jingdezhen, China) is an Auckland-based artist whose practice engages artistic autoethnographic research to examine personal experiences of art education, memory, and identity. Working across painting and graphic narrative, Zha reflects on the contrast between her early training within China's exam-oriented art system and her later studies at the Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland, completing her Master's Degree in 2025.
Having undergone a highly exam-oriented art education in China during high school, Zha recalls feeling like a "robot" in the studio—required to strictly follow instructions and replicate textbook images through imitation and copying. In response, her current practice reclaims agency through intuitive image-making and narrative invention.
Central to her paintings is the recurring presence of her mother, a figure who represents both emotional grounding and a catalyst for change. Through this relationship, Zha reflects on care, support, and the possibility of reimagining one's artistic path. Her works weave together childhood memories, personal experience, and imagined scenes, forming a fluid visual language that resists linear storytelling.
Through the act of painting, Zha engages in a process of emotional expression and the reconstruction of artistic values. Her practice emphasises creativity as a means of exploring diversity and embracing the infinite possibilities of artistic expression. She is committed to challenging the rigid, exam-driven art education model she experienced in China and advocates for freedom of expression among art students.
Zha's graphic novels investigate personal and cultural narratives, constructing a diverse, imaginative, and ecologically inspired artistic world. Her work critically examines traditional art education systems that prioritize technical skill, standardization, and mechanical reproduction, often at the expense of individuality.
Rather than offering an escape from reality, Zha's practice reconfigures it. Through her distinctive pictographic language, she establishes a unique visual identity. Her works engage not only with personal emotional experiences but also with broader cultural and societal themes. Within the framework of contemporary art discourse, Zha offers viewers an alternative perceptual pathway—one that gently invites reflection on cultural meaning and social structures.