Cavern of Saline Genesis – Jun Zhang

Jun Zhang (1990, Shanghai, China) was an artist-in-residence at ARE in 2022. After his project ‘Witte Goud’ Jun has continued working on the second part of this project. Now Jun is back in Enschede to show this new works in the exhibition ‘Cavern of Saline Genesis’ at Tetem.

Period: 09.05 – 12.05.2024, 12 – 17pm

Cavern of Saline Genesis from Jun Zhang speculates about an alternative fertility system in which reproduction is no longer dependent on human bodies or biological views.

Jun Zhang’s practice often starts from a fascination with an alien landscape or space. Jun searches to fathom and grasp these sites’ mysterious internal energy which he then metabolizes and conveys through his artistic language. Jun seeks to evoke scenarios that invite critical reflection on the relationship between human cultures, spiritual worlds and natural environments.

In his new work Cavern of Saline Genesis Jun has researched salt extraction in the Overijssel area. This project explores decolonizing the body through investigation of local beliefs and folk medicine knowledge related to salt and fertility, as well as new technology of using salt caverns for energy storage in the Netherlands. Through a film, Cavern of Saline Genesis speculates about an alternative fertility system in which reproduction is no longer dependent on human bodies or biological views. The supernatural beings and the underground spaces in the film metaphorically give the world new fertility energy.

Jun Zhang is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher, currently based in Amsterdam. His practice focuses on topics such as ecology future, de-anthropocentrism, indigenous sciences, alternative medicine and future archaeology.

This exhibition is a production of ARE at Tetem. Tetem offers ARE’s guest artists the opportunity to present new work in Tetem and interact with a diverse audience.