ROBERT ZHAO RENHUI
Robert Zhao’s works are explorations and observations of nature, many of which explore Singapore’s turbulent relationship with its natural surroundings. His works are not just documentations of the natural world. Deadpan and sometimes absurd, Zhao’s images lead his viewers to question what is real. Passionate about the natural world from a young age, he developed his documentary style of photographing animals early in his career. Later on, Zhao began to experiment with more conceptual strands, creating works that asked increasingly nuanced questions about man’s relationship with his environment. Zhao uses photographs as material to construct fictional narratives. The apex of this found itself in 2008 with Institute of Critical Zoologists (ICZ), an artistic project that is an umbrella organisation for Zhao’s individual projects. Through ICZ, Zhao explores how the reception of photographs affects our perception of the natural world despite their potentially duplicitous nature. Visit www.criticalzoologists.org