Wendy Zhang

Researcher-in-Residence

Wendy Zhang is a Singapore-based artist, educator and researcher who works across a range of mediums, primarily in watercolour.

A self-professed entomophile (insect-lover), Wendy has been practising art since 2015 and currently works as a research assistant at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. Through her experience with field research and intertidal surveys for LKCNHM, she often finds herself in quiet pockets of nature surrounded by the strange, dead and unseen.

At the core of Wendy's practice is the belief that insects are key to our biodiversity. Her particular fascination with insects drives her to learn more about them and understand the role they play in our ecosystem. She carries a personal mandate to be an advocate for the beauty of insects. In her ongoing quest to sow seeds of public appreciation for little critters, she finds that art is the friendliest way to invite people to closely observe insects without fear. Her approach is heavily informed by her local context, as she frames all her art workshops around insects and animals native to Singapore. Using the same approach, Wendy has explored topics beyond entomology as she dives into the world of microbiology, inviting people to understand and learn the importance of other inconspicuous organisms – algae.

Wendy’s keen passion for public education has led her to produce multiple insect-themed art workshops in recent years, such as 'The Impact of Insects in Our World', held as part of NTUCCA's The Posthuman City -Climates. Habitats. Environments. exhibition in 2019. She has also lectured a workshop as part of a module on what it means to be a naturalist, a NUS Scholar module offered in 2019. Her works were also part of Singapore Art Week 2022, working with start-ups as part of a residency program by INSEP (International Network of Socially Engaged Practitioners), focusing on the importance of microbiology.

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