For Zhang Peng
2010 / acrylic, gesso, wood / 30 X 18 X 2 inches

My grandfather had wanted to name me Zhang Peng. My father deemed the name too masculine and rejected it. I consider this work a memorial to my nonexistent male alter-ego. I signed the Chinese characters for Zhang Peng repeatedly on the panel.

For Lu Zhang
2011 / acrylic, gesso, wood, mirror / 70 X 5.5 X 25 inches

For Zhang Lu
2011 / acrylic, gesso, wood, mirror / 70 X 5.5 X 25 inches

In translating a Chinese name to English, the order of the first name and the surname is inverted. I feel very different depending on how I am called. My parents and Chinese relatives and friends call me Zhang Lu. Everyone else calls me Lu Zhang. I wanted to address this duality. This pair of works appear identical. The difference lies in the order the characters were written (Zhang first or Lu first).