Fenk Zhang is 19 and wants to smell the fine aroma.

MOSSLESS: You work is strange, beautiful and at times disturbing, but in a good way. How do you make these images?
FENK ZHANG: Literally I use a camera & Photoshop CS4, if that’s what your question meant. The process of actually creating the images is a very organic and natural thing for me. It’s a bit hard to explain “how” I make them. I would compare the experience to something similar to most other forms of abstract art, you may not know what the end result may specifically be when you start, but slowly it reveals itself to you. There really is no pattern or formula, the images simply flow out of my mind. Often times when experimenting without knowing the results I’m pleasantly surprised and usually appreciate the final outcome more so because of it.

ML: Where are you from and how has the place affected your photos?
FZ: I’m from China and grew up in Chengdu, Sichuan, a place surrounded by loads of mountains and rarely has sunny days. The climate here does have effects on my work. Due to a basin topography there is always too much mist and fog and many rainy days, which caused most of my childhood to be spent indoors. Experiencing the great solitude of being home alone, I was often bored and longed for those days when I would travel with my family and friends in the bright sunshine. I would love to go through those beautiful family albums over and over again, each time those photographs just evoked the best memories of the past for me. I love to experience the nostalgia of emotions each photo holds, sadness of seeing people I love grow older and moving on, along with happiness of wonderful memories. I guess that’s one of the reasons that I try to express feelings of nostalgia through my own work.

ML: Who are your influences?
FZ: I get influenced by so many amazing artists, it’s hard to only name a few, but I run a website called COMA that answers all the questions. 

ML: Are you a fan of horror films?
FZ: Yes I am! I enjoy being frightened, unlike some friends i know who apparently do not appreciate the thrill. Sometimes I just get sucked into it, especially when i stay up late and have nothing to do. I find the experience of my heart pounding and adrenaline flowing to be rather pleasant, so much that sometimes I never want the rush to end. I like the shock factor and being completely immersed in the story lines so I feel like I’m truly in the movie myself. When I was a child I’d always be the one who acted like a monster or a ghost when playing around with the neighbor kids. I would quote lines from horror films I had seen and groan like a zombie to scare them. I always felt like I shouldn’t be interested in such things when I was younger, but it always made my friends scream and run away so it made it fun.