‘Artists exist to speak the truth’: Meet VCA graduating artist Ziyi Wei

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) student Ziyi Wei uses jewellery and ornamentation to explore themes of desire, gendered bodies, and the erosion of ethnic culture in modern society. We spoke with Ziyi before she unveiled her latest work at the 2024 VCA Art Grad Show.

Hi Ziyi, could you start by introducing yourself and your work in the VCA Art Grad Show?

As someone navigating the intersection of Eastern and Western cultures, my work explores the dynamic interaction between the human psyche and material realities, emphasising the evolving relationships between locality, positionality, desire, and morality.

Through videos and sculptural pieces, my work specifically focuses on the intersectional pressures faced by Asian women within a Western-centric capitalist society.

What inspires your creative practice?

As a young, coloured woman/femme navigating the world and pursuing an art practice in different cultures and ideologies, the unfairness and pain I encountered were the earliest inspirations and triggers. Initially, my desire to create was driven by this pain.

However, throughout the process, it gradually transformed into a sense of resonance with my community and a shared responsibility towards them. Living in such an intersecting world, alongside real-living women/femmes and marginalised groups, they form my family and community.

On a practical level, my experience working in the beauty industry exposed me to countless bodies bound by gender constraints, allowing me to witness the limited choices women face in their lives.

Your work is deeply connected the beauty industry. Can you tell us more about how these connections inform your practice?

My creative practice is closely tied to the environment in which I grew up and worked in, especially the local culture of Guizhou (China). Working in a nail salon allowed me to encounter many women with diverse experiences. My obsession with ornaments, fast fashion, and minority cultures stems from my days in the salon.

Every day, I handled the nails and jewellery of many women, which not only helped me develop skills and ideas for creating sculptures but also exposed me to the diseases of modern society — the female role’s fixation on materialism, their identity confusion, and the oppression they face in a patriarchal society.

What’s been the highlight of your studies?

I received the Majis Travelling Scholarship, which allowed me to return to Maliao village in Kaili, Guizhou, to study silverwork. This experience greatly encouraged my artistic journey and marked a significant turning point in my practice. Honours became the platform where I could put these thoughts into action.

Why is art important? 

I’ve often reflected on why artists are needed and why I am needed. I believe that artists exist to speak the truth — our own truth. It’s a truth that transcends doctrines and rules, offering freedom and a unique way of seeing the world. Art runs parallel to the real world, born from imagination, love, and sharing. It comes from breaking free of the prison of thought, from facing human suffering with both confrontation and serenity.

You can view Ziyi's work at the 2024 VCA Art Grad Show on display from 22–28 November at the University of Melbourne Southbank campus. Open between 11am–5pm daily. Plan your visit.

Discover the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Degree with Honours) at the University of Melbourne.