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Zj Pan (b. 1998) lives and works in Madison, US. Pan works with sculpture, performance, and new media, meditating and investigating the uncanniness of our modern human condition. Working to resist the shocks and simulations in everyday lives, he uses animation and humor to transform and demystify objects. Pan obtained his B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Textile and Fashion Design at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is the recipient of the New Artist Society Award at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Facility Fellowship, and Vermont Studio Center Fellowship. Pan has presented a major solo exhibition at FACILITY, Chicago.
Artist Statement
My sculpture entails working with copies of objects to deflate the heaviness of the modern human condition through animation and subversion. I treat objects with a cynical tone, hoping to elicit a reaction that starts with laughter and then evolves from unease to disturbance. Working with representations of familiar objects and their implications, I seek to spark an uncomfortable giggle about the modern human condition that is simultaneously charged with shocks and simulations.
My process begins with choosing recognizable objects, specifically, the ones that induce shock in my life, for example, an image of a missile, a fire hydrant outside my building, or a frog that deflects my attention, and employ them as devices for mediation and reception, collectives where information propagates. I then create assemblages with these objects to facilitate an absurd yet engaging theatrical display. The absurdity is presented through both forms, which I create from fantastical wishes and violent convergences; and functions, which are preserved or subverted. The primary production media are 3D printing and castings, as they produce unfaithful copies of existing originals and serve as mere simulations of the real.