Captivating artwork of Ming Huang Zhang .. now showing in the MATV Gallery

The MATV Gallery is exhibiting the work of Ming Huang Zhang, a participating artist in this year’s Window Arts Malden through January 2015.

Zhang hails from China and immigrated to the United States in 2011. The work in this exhibit features his oil portraits which are painted in a western style but display subjects and details that are distinctly Eastern. Also on exhibit will be a number of his portrait sketches using a charcoal medium, a favorite of the artist. Zhang frequents Harvard Square where he finds plenty of people to pose for his sketches, which typically take about 15 minutes to complete yet are captivating in their level of fine detail and likeness to the original face.

Says Zhang, “I live in Boston and I love this beautiful city. I have liked drawing since I was a preschool child. Every day, I drew on the road with small stones because my parents did not have enough money to buy drawing equipment for me.”

In 2010, Zhang drew a giant mural (300 square meters) for the Sri Lankan pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo. “Drawing is the most important part of my life,” says the artist.

Zhang’s English is limited but his ability to communicate through artwork and enthusiasm is strong. In this video interview, MATV staffer Hailey Hao interviews the artist in Mandarin, a common language for both. English translation is provided through summary subtitles and a full English translation by the interviewer following his responses.

A reception with the artist will be held on Wednesday, December 10 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. The MATV Gallery is located at MATV, Malden’s Media Center, 145 Pleasant Street in Malden. Hours are Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Fridays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The facility is handicapped accessible.