Graduation Spotlight Series: Capturing Time in Abandoned Spaces

Yuzhe Zhang, M.F.A. ’26, studio art

By Christine Byrd

Yuzhe Zhang grew up drawing and sketching, influenced by his grandfather, who practiced traditional Chinese painting in his hometown in Inner Mongolia. But it was a photography class at his arts high school in Beijing, China that captured his imagination.

“Photography is a medium where you can experience time,” said Zhang. “What I love about photography is that I can use just a single image, a single moment, to tell a story.”

Zhang’s passion for photography brought him to the U.S. for college, where he promptly bought a Jeep and started driving all around the West — captivated by the ghost towns, old gold mines and vacant structures from the past.

“Standing in front of those relics or ruins, I could imagine how 50 or 60 years ago, this place was beautiful and filled with the happiness of people — a lovely family or a lot of hard workers,” said Zhang. “It gives me a feeling of the human presence and the human absence, and I became very interested in doing a deep dive into this idea.”

Zhang’s recent artwork explores isolated, empty sites he found on his long drives, including inactive mines, an abandoned school bus and a chunk of airplane fuselage. Inside and around the structures, he uses lights like a paintbrush, drawing in the darkness and capturing the lines of colorful light with long exposure.

“I was present in making the image, but when the image comes out, I'm absent. My activities left tracks, though — that’s the part I really like,” said Zhang.

Coming to the U.S. for college, Zhang studied at the ArtCenter College of Design before coming to UC Irvine’s M.F.A. program. He was attracted to the Claire Trevor School of the Arts in part because of the quiet beauty of the M.F.A. studio spaces, so unlike the shared studio spaces he saw elsewhere.

“I visited art schools from coast to coast, and I love the studios here,” said Zhang. “I like a very quiet space so I can sit privately and put my head down and think about my work.”

Zhang also sought out the opportunity to work with and learn from photographer and artist Miles Coolidge, professor of art. Serving as Zhang’s advisor, Coolidge has helped him develop his technique, using both digital cameras and a 4x5 large-format camera. Photo lab manager Rudy Vega was also instrumental to Zhang, spending countless hours teaching him about equipment, printing and mounting techniques. Acclaimed photographer Jennifer Bornstein, associate professor of art, served as Zhang’s mentor during his first year. And Jibade-Khalil Huffman, assistant professor who joined the art department in 2024, has challenged Zhang to continuously think about perception and conceptual meaning.

“Because our M.F.A. program includes artists using all different mediums, from sculpture to painting, it pushes me to think about the critical and philosophical aspects of photography,” said Zhang.
After commencement, Zhang plans to return to China and continue creating art. He already has an idea for his next photography project. An avid scuba diver who has explored the waters of Southern California, Florida, Europe and China, he’s ready to bring camera equipment and his distinctive style to another quiet, isolated location: underwater caves.

To learn more about the Department of Art, visit arts.uci.edu/art.