Foam (1), from the series Foam

One Book One Northwestern, 2023–24

In this artwork, artist Zhang Huan, face covered in foaming bubbles, opens his mouth to reveal a black-and-white photograph of a baby lying on its back and playfully grabbing its feet. The photograph is part of a series of images where the artist appears to consume small pictures of family members of different generations. Known for his performance art, Zhang creates a sense of discomfort through the photograph’s close cropping of the face and its large scale, which brings every detail to light. Placing a precious family photograph in one’s mouth, where it may disintegrate or be eaten, also feels precarious. The series alludes to the fleeting nature of life, our family’s central role in constructing our identity, and the often-complicated nature of familial relationships. Of this series, Zhang writes, “Life is like a dream. It is transient. Just like foam, it sparkles out and dies in less than a second. I love this family and I hate this family. I wanted to eat them. I wanted to eat myself.”

In Crying in H Mart, Zauner takes the reader through her journey of self-discovery after immense loss by zeroing in on the family memories and intergenerational bonds that shaped her. She does not shy away from displaying the intensity of those bonds and also considers what happens to those important relationships when someone passes away.