Corner–BJ continues Zhang’s exploration of color, light, and layered structure, especially the subtle contrasts between red and green, pink and blue. The scene originates from spring in Beijing: in May, trees are usually full and vibrant, yet here they appear sparse and wintry, creating a dislocation between season, memory, and visual expectation.
Two pairs of adults and children walk forward in the morning light. The large shadow at the center of the image might belong to the artist standing by the window—or to the viewer—creating a “viewing within viewing.” This shadow becomes the structural core of the work, placing the viewer both outside the scene and simultaneously drawn into its interior.
Buildings, roads, and trees are rendered through translucent, light washes, giving the space a floating and delayed quality. The figures remain without detail, defined only by gesture, suggesting a distant and shifting relationship between people and their surroundings. Through this, Zhang expresses her way of observing the city:
watching from afar, maintaining distance, yet deeply entangled with life.
The painting exemplifies her ongoing theme of “urban looking,” articulating the complex interplay of city space, personal memory, and inner emotion through overlapping, transparent, and displaced visual structures.