Zadie Xa’s practice combines many cultural reference points which she draws from her Korean and native Canadian heritage. These include streetwear, music videos, quilting techniques, and traditional clothing. Much of Xa’s work is preoccupied with using water and marine ecologies to explore the fantastical while also considering themes of homeland. In Orca, many of these influences converge to create a work that reels with cultural relevance. The bright and playful colours call to mind the aesthetic of early 2000’s pop cultural fashions from the artist’s youth, whilst the colourful fringe add layers of movement. The orca motif refers to Xa’s interest in the close-knit family bond exhibited by orca pod, acknowledging the matrilineal social structures of cetaceans.
Xa’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions at numerous galleries in Canada, the United States, and Europe, including the Serpentine Gallery in London, 2016; Palais de Tokyo, in Paris, 2018; Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver, 2021; and Remai Modern in Saskatchewan, Canada, 2020–2021.
