1st place
gold star award
Zili Zhang
united states 
title
Four Seasons on Plates
Autumn is inspired by a Chinese saying: "so beautiful that it is also delicious." The arrangement reflects the season's beauty, paired with the idea of savoring it.
Winter features winter berries to recount the story of Noah's Ark, albeit a different version in Sting's song "Rock Steady." Read clockwise from the top left, it portrays prosperity, disaster, two survivors, and their escape from the chaos.
Spring tells a love story. The image should be read clockwise from the top left: a chance encounter, growing together, the birth of new life, and the cycle continuing as the little one grows up.
Summer uses a water lily floating in a bowl to symbolize the concepts of Nirvana and Rebirth from Buddhist teachings. It transitions from a full bloom to a baby state, then from a single petal to complete emptiness.
Zili Zhang uses landscapes to tell stories, allowing elements within his images to interact and form quiet dialogues. Striving for simplicity, he seeks inner peace and serenity through a unique sense of color and form. He believes timelessness lies behind every decisive moment. His work transforms ordinary scenes from nature and the human world into poetic expressions of existence.
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entry description
This series was developed over the course of a year, with each image using seasonal plants placed on plates or bowls with chopsticks to convey a unique story or concept.Autumn is inspired by a Chinese saying: "so beautiful that it is also delicious." The arrangement reflects the season's beauty, paired with the idea of savoring it.
Winter features winter berries to recount the story of Noah's Ark, albeit a different version in Sting's song "Rock Steady." Read clockwise from the top left, it portrays prosperity, disaster, two survivors, and their escape from the chaos.
Spring tells a love story. The image should be read clockwise from the top left: a chance encounter, growing together, the birth of new life, and the cycle continuing as the little one grows up.
Summer uses a water lily floating in a bowl to symbolize the concepts of Nirvana and Rebirth from Buddhist teachings. It transitions from a full bloom to a baby state, then from a single petal to complete emptiness.
about the photographer
Zili Zhang is an internationally recognized photographer based in Greenwich, CT. Recently named Conceptual Photographer of the Year by Exposure One, he also received Gold from the 1839 Awards and ND Magazine. His work has earned awards from the Smithsonian, Paris Photo Prize, TIFA, IPA, FAPA, reFocus, Chromatic and more.Zili Zhang uses landscapes to tell stories, allowing elements within his images to interact and form quiet dialogues. Striving for simplicity, he seeks inner peace and serenity through a unique sense of color and form. He believes timelessness lies behind every decisive moment. His work transforms ordinary scenes from nature and the human world into poetic expressions of existence.
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