After One

Zixiang’s work delves into the symbiotic interactions between industrial by-products- such as textile waste - and organic systems, particularly mycelium, nature’s decomposer, questioning human-centred solutions and highlighting nature’s transformative power.

After One by Zixiang Zhang begins where authorship is no longer held by one hand. Across three interconnected works, mycelium, knitted textiles, steel pipes, and everyday objects enter unstable arrangements, in which making continues beyond the artist’s initial working. Colour is not a fixed property but an event contingent on surface, light, distance, and the viewer’s movement. Sealed objects retain their material presence while losing the certainty of their former narratives. The “One” of the title remains, but no longer as authority. What follows is not its disappearance, but its encounter with other lives, other viewpoints, and other times.

Zixiang Zhang was awarded 2nd place in our 2025 Quay Arts OPEN Biennial exhibition ‘SOFT’. Zixiang's entry 'After the Remains II' (pictured below) explored the interplay of waste and renewal through textiles and living fungal networks. Evoking fossilised remnants and underground ecologies, it reveals a buried world where decay fosters growth.

Quay Arts OPEN Biennial is a themed exhibition call-out open to artists across the UK every 2 years. Selected artists then display in a group exhibition in our West Gallery. Two winners are selected from the displaying artists; 1st place receives a solo West Gallery exhibition, and 2nd place receives a solo Clayden Gallery exhibition; both winners receive support from Quay Arts. Our next OPEN Biennial will be taking place in 2027.

For further information regarding this exhibition please visit the Quay Arts website linked.