Painting from memory of his home town in South Africa allows the artist, he shares, to “mix what’s real with what I feel.” Zach Zono explores up to the boarders of a canvas, to unravel a fictitious, poetic statement staying loose, open and offbeat. There’s an emphasis in his work on the roles of chance, gravity and the studio space. A sort of duet unfolds between creative instinct and the curatorial eye set on freely dripping paints. Reminding us, through fluidity, the only constant in life is change.
Imagine you’re at an art fair or group show where you’re exhibiting. How do you introduce yourself?
I’m Zach Zono, a contemporary abstract artist from Cape Town, South Africa, now based in London. My practise is rooted in capturing memory, movement, and everyday life, through colour and form.
We love seeing you get dressed by Chanel and Armani. What overlaps do you find between clothes and art for yourself?
For me, it is another way of expressing myself. I try not to separate my studio clothes from my day-to-day clothes, I’ve always felt that I feel best when everything feels lived in. I guess that is the relationship between clothes and art for me: the more real and lived-in it feels, the more authentic it becomes.
Talk That Through, London 2025
How do you feel when you know a piece is finished? Is it ever hard to let them leave the studio?
It’s something I’m always chasing, that feeling. Some days you know a painting’s done straight away, and sometimes it takes three months of back and forth to figure it out. Honestly, by the time a piece is finished, I’m already thinking about the next one. The process is addictive, you’re always chasing that feeling again. My paintings live with me for months, moving around the studio, changing as I change. So when they’re finally done, I’m more than ready to let them go. It feels natural, like closing one chapter and starting the next.
How do you navigate the balance between abstraction and representation in your paintings?
It’s not something I plan. I start with a feeling and let the painting find its way. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of something real, sometimes it stays loose and open. I think of the paintings as ways of seeing the world — through my own past, present, and future. I also let the studio play a big role: moving the works around, flipping them, letting chance be part of the process.
Your titles, like A Perfect Line Doesn’t Mean It’s Straight, really draws viewers in. How do you come up with them?
Titles are like little notes to myself. I hear phrases people say, or something pops into my head while I’m painting, and I’ll write it down. I want the title to be conversational to open a door into the work, but still leave space for people to find their own meaning.
Your artwork reflects on South African geography and growing up in Cape Town. Is there something sweeter about revisiting it through memory from London?
Definitely. Being far away makes everything feel bigger and brighter in my mind. Painting from memory lets me mix what’s real with what I feel. It’s not about getting it exactly right, it’s about capturing the energy of it.
A Perfect Line Doesn't Mean It's Straight, London 2024
Your artistic style is composed of naïve brushstrokes that come from an impulse, yet that impulse is informed by a plethora of concepts. How do you avoid the dreaded creative over-thinking, or do you lean into that?
If I overthink it, the painting loses its energy. It’s a dance between the painting and me. Sometimes I start with an idea, but I try to let the work find its own way through colour and form. The studio plays a huge role too: the paintings move around, from the floor to the wall, paint spills, gravity pulls. All of it becomes part of the final result.
There was an emphasis on reds and pinks, warm shades in your show in Madrid and at London Art Fair, though to a lesser extent. Is there an intention to create exotic images?
Not really, I’ve always been drawn to warmer colours. In my paintings, I try to use offbeat colours you might not normally see together, but make them work in harmony. It’s more about feeling than planning.
Can you describe why fluidity is important to your work? Does fluidity for an artist say something about cultural and social shapeshifting to meet consumer and critics’ tastes?
Life’s always moving: memories shift, feelings change. I want my paintings to feel the same way, like they’re alive and breathing. The more I paint, the more the work changes too, just like everything else.
What’s your process like when making a painting?
It’s pretty messy. I am usually working on a few canvases at once, moving them around, flipping them, letting them talk to each other. I am lucky that my studio is right next to a park, so I take breaks, clear my head and come back with fresh eyes.
Pulling Faces, London 2024
What does your current artistic output say about the stage you’re at in life?
It’s a mix of looking back and moving forward. I’m trusting my gut a lot more and letting things happen naturally. I’m really loving the new works, being freer with them and trusting the first mark.
Can you name one or two exhibitions coming up you deem unmissable?
The Noah Davis show at the Barbican truly blew me away. It’s something incredibly beautiful, and I’ll definitely be going back a few more times to take it all in. I really recommend checking it out.
What’s next for Zach Zono?
That’s a big question! I’ve got some exciting exhibitions in the works, but right now, I am focused on continuing to create, to learn and keep pushing forward.
Jeans and jacket STUDIO NICHOLSON.