We are pleased to share Zheng Bo’s participation in Hawai‘i Triennial 2022 (HT22). Presented by Hawai’i Contemporary and entitled “Pacific Century – E Ho‘omau no Moananuiākea”, HT22 will feature 43 artists and collectives from Hawai‘i, Asia-Pacific, and beyond, whose artwork will explore themes of history, place, social activism, environmental change, and Indigenous knowledge within the context of Hawaiʻi’s unique location at the confluence of Asia-Pacific and Oceania. The largest periodic showcase of contemporary art in Hawai‘i, HT22 will be presented across seven exhibition venues on the Hawaiian Island of O‘ahu.

For HT22, Zheng Bo will present ‘Pteridophilia’ (2016-present), an ongoing investigation into the politics of ferns. Conceived by juxtaposing pterido- and -philia, the moniker imagines intimate relationships one can have with ferns. Simultaneously, it begs the question of whether it is possible to co-exist with other species on the basis of mutual understanding and pleasure beyond functional values defined by our contemporary system. Incorporating plants into the semiosis of social life, ‘Pteridophilia’ mounts a sensitive and thoughtful encounter between humans and plants – the acceptance of that yearning to connect through body rather than language in order to transform pleasure. Positioned against the flux of mechanised society, Zheng suggests in his provocative practice that our fantasies are essential to weaving new fables of posthumanism, extending our desires to dissolve into other forms of life, and to renew our understanding of the politics of life.

– Courtesy of Hawai’i Contemporary.