Interview
Mosaz Zijun Zhao
Zijun Zhao (professionally known as “Mosaz”) is an artist whose work has been exhibited in prominent venues across the globe. Her practice bridges drawing, symbolic visual storytelling, and cultural reflection. Originally from China, Zhao’s work has been shown at Gallatin Galleries and Chelsea Gallery in New York, Palazzo Della Cancelleria – Museo Leonardo Da Vinci Experience in Italy, and Beijing’s 798 Art District. She was also featured in the Doordom Art Prize Vol. IV (BE)LONGING at Doordom Gallery in the United Kingdom. In addition to exhibitions, Zhao’s work has been published in Art Anthology V 2022 by Guto Ajayu Culture, housed in the National Library of Spain, and in Issue 14 of Visual Art JournalPress as part of the Speranza art book series. Her artistic language fuses complex, delicate linework with rich emotional undercurrents, articulating themes of memory, mourning, and spiritual transformation.
Zhao’s signature series, A Joyful Funeral, exemplifies her unique visual lexicon. The work begins with a solitary figure in mourning, seated beside a tree stump, then unfolds through fluid yet precise lines into a divine Tree of Life and a sea symbolizing rebirth. The narrative arcs through transformation and loss—moth to bird—expressing the paradox of clarity within chaos. Zhao’s ability to distill internal conflict into meditative compositions continues to resonate through her broader body of work, which explores the intimate intersections between life, death, and cultural memory.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a New York-based contemporary artist with a background in illustration and fine arts. I studied illustration for four years in New York. After graduating, I started by sharing art works online, over time, galleries and curators began inviting me to participate in international shows, such as Speranza: Mostra d’Arte Cinese Contemporanea at Palazzo della Cancelleria – Museo Leonardo da Vinci Experience in Rome, Yi Jie at Xiansheng Gallery 798 in Beijing, and Island of Light at Chelsea Gallery in New York. My work has since been exhibited internationally at institutions including the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Palazzo Bembo in Venice, CICA Museum in South Korea, and Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan. In recent years, I have also contributed to the art world as a juror for the 6th Genoa Biennale and as a member of the Academic Committee for the 2024 China-Italy Contemporary Art Yearbook. These experiences have deepened my understanding of how art fosters cross-cultural dialogue.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work explores cultural memory, spirituality, and personal transformation. I draw deeply from traditional Asian symbols, rituals, and narratives, reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens. Rather than addressing specific political events, my art reflects on how identity and memory are shaped by history, ritual, and myth. Through intricate linework and symbolic imagery, I aim to create dreamlike worlds where the boundaries between body, nature, and spirit blur. Many of my works contemplate death not as an ending, but as a transition, inviting viewers to consider autonomy, choice, and how we construct meaning in the unknown.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I never make preliminary sketches, and I also do not use references. My process relies on spontaneity: I add shapes wherever I feel the composition needs something, choosing what feels most natural at that moment, and then I build up the details. Even though my lines are highly intricate, they often create the impression that they were always meant to be there. I find this contrast between randomness and inevitability fascinating, as if each mark is both accidental and destined at the same time.”
“My work explores cultural memory, spirituality, and personal transformation.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I don’t see my work as following any particular trend; it is more rooted in personal expression and cultural memory. That said, I am interested in broader conversations in the art world about identity, heritage, and how traditional narratives can be reimagined in contemporary contexts.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I usually begin my works by building intricate line drawings with ink pens, creating a dense structure of lines and patterns. After finishing the linework, I add layers of color using pastels and colored pencils. This combination allows me to preserve the precision and delicacy of the lines while adding a softer, more atmospheric quality through the pigments.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Art is my way of translating intangible feelings, memory, grief, and spiritual longing, into a visual language. It allows me to preserve fragments of cultural heritage while reconstructing them through a personal lens. My works often carry a dreamlike ambiguity, leaving space for viewers to form their own interpretations.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“One of my most meaningful works is A Joyful Funeral, a series of three pieces. It reflects on the paradox of death as both an end and a form of liberation. I believe a joyful funeral isn’t necessarily about dying of old age, but about having the agency to decide when your life ends and imagining the next world exactly as you wish. Because that world is unknown, its uncertainty becomes a space to construct an ideal reality—like a sacredness we project onto it, something that feels holy yet may ultimately be an illusion.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“One of the most significant exhibitions I have participated in Asia was at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan, an institution renowned for its focus on Asian contemporary art and cultural exchange. Internationally, a highlight for me was exhibiting at Palazzo Bembo in Venice, a historic venue closely tied to major global art events and a prominent platform for international contemporary art. My work has also been featured in international art publications such as Art Insider and also on Google News, BOOOOOOOM, The Woven Tale Press, and AI-Tiba9 Art Magazine, as well as in mainstream media including Corriere della Sera.”
Website: www.mosazart.com
Instagram: @mosaz_zj
