Zhiliang Zhao's 'Benches, or Find a Friend at the Y' at Ramiken

Ramiken gallery in New York's Lower East Side presents 'Benches, or Find a Friend at the Y,' a solo exhibition by New York-based artist Zhiliang Zhao, on view through July 11. The show features a new body of sculptures made from pigmented Rockite cement, MDF, and steel, alongside a Super 8 film titled 'Them' (2026). Zhao, born in China and now working in New York, explores public space, community, and human interaction through the motif of the bench. The exhibition's title references a YMCA, evoking casual encounters and community. Works like 'Find a Friend at the Y' and 'Three Knocks on the Door' (2026) transform familiar forms into ambiguous structures that suggest bodies and relationships without depicting them directly. The Super 8 film expands on themes of memory and collective experience. Ramiken, founded in 2009 by Michael Egan, has a reputation for supporting unconventional practices. Zhao's benches operate as social sculptures, inviting reflection on connection and isolation in an era of digital fragmentation.