GLEN EIRA
ARTISTS SOCIETY
Spotlight on Jenny Zhe Chang
The Art of Sharing, Life and Love
If you’ve been a GEAS member for some time now, you might know her for her unique mixed-media exhibitions. Think ballet slippers, lanterns made with orange safety mesh, and most recently traditional Chinese paper-cutting.
“Whenever I hit a creative bottleneck or feel a sense of dullness, I turn to Lao Tzu’s Tao te Ching,” she reflects.
“I’ve read it more than 78 times.”
But more on that later…
To understand Jenny’s journey and artistry, we need to head back to a time in communist China. Jenny’s beginnings are humble. Growing up exposed to financial struggles, her family used government coupons to put food on the table. She enjoyed dance, but dreaming of a future as an artist was simply not a part of the mindset she grew up in. And yet, like a knowing wink from her childhood we see hints of her love of dance in her work, intermingling with concepts of harmony and sharing. Whether it’s the movement of a figure in her papercutting or her work with National Ballet of China. And, with a clear connection to her own Eastern culture, Jenny says she values the principles of harmony, peace, and mutual respect.​​
Jenny Zhe Chang is gentle and spritely with a personality that exudes a modest charm. When she walks in to meet me at the restaurant of her choice - New Shanghai in Chadstone, she greets me with warmth. With all her vast experience, Jenny’s feet are planted firmly on the ground. And yet for inspiration, she turns up to the universe and the divine.
When Jenny makes art, she says “the most important aspect is concept - what I want to express or communicate to my audience through my artwork,” - a result of her studies with the VCA.
With a culturally enriched catalogue of work, Jenny has had an extensive range of exhibitions showcased in Australia and abroad. Naturally, as changing as life itself, Jenny’s favourites have varied across her creative life.
“At different stages of my journey, my favorite works have changed because my art is not created for myself but to engage with viewers,” she explains.
“However, I have a strong preference for paper cutting at the moment. Unlike other art forms that build upon a surface,
paper cutting creates meaning and beauty by removing the unnecessary. It reflects what we truly need in the present moment. If we all approached life by asking ourselves, "Is this necessary?" and "Is it kind?" the world might become a much better and more peaceful place.”
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​Jenny’s harmonious character is evident as we shared a signature dish called Shanghai Dried Fish - a traditional dish that she only had the chance to enjoy for the first time, in Australia. Sipping jasmine tea and sharing stories on food and chopsticks between us, I could only be humbled by that reminder of the joy in simplicity and genuine sharing. Sharing of thoughts, ideas, stories. Sharing of delicious dumplings, too.
“When I was growing up, food was scarce,” Jenny shares.
“I still remember my grandmother teaching me which leaves, wild grasses, and flowers were edible. We would gather them and make dumplings, often without any meat.”
“The most enjoyable time was celebrating Chinese New Year! We received food coupons, which meant we could finally have some meat. The whole family would sit together, making dumplings—those were some of my happiest moments.Now, I truly treasure the experience of eating Xiao Long Bao and dumplings, as it brings back warm memories of those special times.”
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That theme of sharing and Chinese New Year runs through the genesis of Jenny’s latest exhibition, East @ West - Cutting Through Time with Love and Blessing, which ran at the City Library between February and March this year.
“My grandmother taught me paper cutting when I was little because I didn’t have many toys,” she explains.
“We used to cut a lot of snowflakes, especially before Chinese New Year, and display them on the windows. I first applied these traditional craft techniques in 2007 while studying at Latrobe College of Art and Design, before continuing at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA),” she says.
“My first large-scale paper-cutting exhibition was staged at the George Paton Gallery, University of Melbourne, in 2008. Since then, I have held five exhibitions related to paper cutting, including one at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Taipei in 2013.”
Courtesy of the Sui Jian Guo Art Foundation
Jenny’s artworks are evocative of her values and use various mediums to achieve reflections of her outlook.
An example of this could be found in her exhibit "Light with Hope – Sharing" (among others) which was a site-specific installation created for Gallery Two at Glen Eira in the City Council Gallery, 2023. Using traditional bamboo steamers and modern safety mesh as materials, the installation featured symbolized miner's lamps that conveyed a message of safe exploration into the unknown and the pursuit of a better life.
The lanterns were hung with sensor motions and lights, while bamboo steamer sculptures were displayed on a table, reminiscent of Yum Cha, a communal celebration that embodies coming together, diversity, and connection with others. Just like BBQ gatherings in Australia, Yum Cha has been a tradition in Asian communities for thousands of years, symbolizing joy, celebration, and transcending the ordinary.
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To get to this stage of her work, Jenny explains that it was important for her to understand art history and human history.
“My first year started from the Renaissance period,” Jenny explains as she also studied art during the caveman era, alluding to how everyday life is reflected in historical artworks.
Fast forward to June 2024, when Jenny began her research for East @ West- Cutting Through Time with Love and Blessing, Jenny focussed her theme on celebrating the Lunar New Year.
Each piece for this latest exhibition is intricately cut in fine detail, requiring a lot of patience and time.
“I can’t recall exactly how many hours I spent on each piece —I simply worked on one at a time until it was completed,” Jenny said.
“One of the biggest challenges was sourcing materials. After the pandemic, I was unable to find drafting film in Australia, so I had to import it from the United States. The material is quite narrow, so I had to use patterns and composition techniques to expand the viewer’s imagination.
Photo by Ruben Fino
”As Jenny shares her practice, she also adds her pearls of wisdom for all those developing artists out there with great encouragement.
You might remember how Jenny finds solace and grounding in works guided by the divine - various religious and spiritual philosophies that remind her of who she is - a child of the Creator.
“I’m not Christian, and I don’t practice Buddhism or Taoism,” Jenny says, expressing her preference for being an independent thinker as a professional artist.
Inspite of this, she seeks value in reading texts like the Bible and Lao Tzu’s Tao te Ching when in need of inspiration.
“I ask the universe, is this what I want,” referring to discerning the creation she had recently been working on.
“And I think, no I will do it again.”
“The question you ask will reflect the result. We’re all human. Then you ask yourself and it makes life so easy - no fears. Instead of being driven by ego - it’s being driven by love - to yourself”.
“I feel grounded and that inspires me. It’s about principle.”
Such food for thought.
And as for Jenny’s advice for all developing artists out there?
“Keep going and keep creating,” she says, words of wisdom she passes down from one of her university lecturers.
“Whether or not opportunities come your way, always find a way to make art. Your work will grow stronger and continue to evolve.”
FUN FACT ABOUT JENNY
In 2016, Jenny used the signed pointe shoes (over 1300 pairs collected from
professional ballerina and ballet students from more than 13 countries) to create an exhibition called Beyond, A Century’s Love, which was held at T3 International Art Zone Contemporary Museum, Beijing, China.
Written by Melissa F Parkinson 11-Mar-2025