Zach Zono (b. 1999) is a London-based, self-taught painter, born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. His work serves as a meditation on the sensations of memory, rooted in internal experiences that manifest in various ways. Zono's intuitive approach to painting translates his lived experiences onto the canvas, creating complex and distinctive compositions. These works can be viewed as maps of the mind, landscapes documenting the passage of time while retaining the fluidity of ideas and feelings.
"When I'm painting, all my past works present themselves again and again, the process is guided by very quick, instinctive decisions that emerge from an unknown place," Zono explains. "As I paint, I begin to see how future paintings could look and start to create new pathways for the works to start moving forward. It is always a dance between the painting and me. The paintings themselves are propelled by their own momentum, one painting creating the starting point of the next, and so on."
Zono creates paintings that read as abstractions while incorporating a feeling and consideration towards figurative and landscape forms. The organic forms and vivid hues in his work pay homage to his life in Cape Town. By utilizing his large-scale works as mediums for experimentation, Zono's artworks captivate audiences by creating immersive atmospheres that can only be truly experienced in person. His practice, in essence, is a way of looking at the world and reflecting on past experiences, emphasizing presence and the continuity of artistic exploration.