Xin Zhang's 'Growing Pain' at MA-EC Gallery Explores Identity Through Tissue Paper Bricks

Xin Zhang's work 'Growing Pain' (2025) was featured in the group exhibition 'Duality: Nothing Is As It Appears?' at MA-EC Gallery in Palazzo Durini, Milan, from 3 to 14 February 2026. Curated by Elisabetta Roncati and co-curated by Yishun Gao, the piece consists of twelve UV prints on tissue paper arranged like a brick wall on a suspended support panel. The bricks, seemingly robust, are hollow and attached with magnets to create a floating illusion. Zhang, who earned an MA in Print from the Royal College of Art in 2023, draws inspiration from literature and relational theories, focusing on identity fluidity and social structures. The work critiques the construction of identity under social pressure, making visible the fragility beneath a solid facade. At each exhibition, the bricks are rearranged slightly, emphasizing their separate yet interdependent nature. The installation includes a companion piece, 'Reversal of Growing Pain' (2025), also on view. Professor and art critic Carmelo Strano attended the exhibition.