A Possibility Stretch

Ningshuang Zhao

Curatred by Emilia Yin

Los Angeles, 2015

A Possibility Stretch is an experimental body of work developed from artist Ningshuang Zhao’s personal experiences and observations of post-injury rehabilitation in both China and the United States.

Growing up with familiar sayings such as “it takes one hundred days to recover from a serious injury,” Zhao later encountered a fundamentally different medical system and rehabilitation culture in the United States. The contrast between these systems became a point of reflection and visual inquiry.

Through close attention to physical therapy practices and the bodily interactions between therapist and patient, the artist draws visual inspiration from gestures, movements, and relational dynamics. The works explore themes of recovery, interdependence, and the elasticity of the body, presenting rehabilitation not only as a medical process, but as a cultural and relational experience.