Huiyan Zhang is an artist currently based in London and China. Her work centers on her passion for nature and experiences walking through forests, which has inspired her interest in the entanglements of nature, the biology of plant forms, and microscopic views—especially fungi—and their connection to human experience. Through this exploration, she delves into concepts of loss and rebirth, decay and regrowth.

Her process often involves going into nature and using photography, video, and drawing to capture the various forms found there, later bringing them into the printmaking process. Huiyan also draws inspiration from existing photographs, such as microscopic images of fungi. Accident and experimentation are essential in her work, as she values the unpredictability these images bring. Her approach allows her drawings to go through transformation using various materials and surfaces, creating layered, new images. Typically, she creates the initial image first and then develops it, letting experimental effects guide her direction.

A key influence in Huiyan’s work has been Merlin Sheldrake’s writing, which delves into the significance of fungi and their relationship with the human experience. Additionally, Wim van Egmond’s macro photography series—presenting microorganisms and other seemingly inconspicuous life forms through extreme close-up views—has inspired her thinking about the entanglement of nature and human life, as well as the themes of rebirth and regeneration. Through her work, Huiyan seeks to present the diverse forms of life in nature and the environmental impacts on them through a scientific perspective.