Narelle Zhao is an emerging contemporary artist working in a spectrum of disciplines, encompassing  metalwork, sculpture, video, photography, and drawing. Born and raised in Shanghai, they earned a B.S. in Philosophy and Art from Skidmore College and are currently based in New York City.

Their multidisciplinary art practice allows them to construct an intricate and material based process. They are interested in cutting, collaging, and layering shapes,  that allows them to explore a fluid sense of belonging. Through the juxtaposition of orally preserved family memories and personal living experiences, they reimagine identities that transcend both time and space.

Bringing together abstract drawings and video performance, Narelle’s work delves into the preservation of family memory, passed down through oral history. Driven by a deep psychological search for self, Narelle feels a profound responsibility and urge to confront their family history, where their reimagination of childhood memories allows them to form visual connections between past and present, space and time. 

Weaving together personal anecdotes and intergenerational motifs, they reflect upon a recent experience in Vietnam where a stranger’s act of kindness with herbal medicine rekindled memories of their grandmother’s use of similar leaves during times of struggle. In doing so, they seek to honor the legacies that came before while also forging their own path now, understanding how personal stories are created through and alongside family history.