Name: Helen Zhang | kintsugi print studio

Instagram handle: @kintsugi.print

Medium: Original handmade block prints

Artist Bio:
I am a NYC-born and raised block print artist who has been hand-carving prints for over four years. My work draws from traditional East Asian influences, blended with my perspective as someone who grew up in the West. Block printing is my favorite medium, and I love sharing it with others! (fun fact: my Mom grew up in Honolulu before moving to the mainland!)

Name of Featured Print:
Lucky Horse

Inspiration behind your featured print:
"Lucky Horse" was created to honor the Year of the Horse by translating the animal's spirit, energy, and presence through handmade print.

In many cultural traditions, the horse symbolizes strength, endurance, freedom, and forward motion. I was especially drawn to the horse as a figure of quiet power — an animal that does not need to perform to assert its presence. In this print, the horse stands grounded and composed, with no overt expression or gesture. Its posture and stillness are intentional, meant to evoke resilience and inner resolve rather than spectacle.

For me, the Year of the Horse represents moving forward with clarity and intention — not in haste, but with confidence. This print reflects that belief. The horse does not rush or emote; it exists fully in its own weight and presence. In doing so, it becomes a symbolic guardian for the year ahead.

Today, printmaking is an integral part of who I am. It has become both a creative outlet and a way of connecting more deeply with myself, my culture, and others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it!

How would you describe your art style:
I would describe my work as symbolic and narrative-driven, with minimal compositions and graphic, tattoo-like linework. Influenced by traditional East Asian imagery, my prints use mythic animals and auspicious forms as a visual language for exploring cultural diaspora and emotional experience. 

What are your creative inspirations?
I’m inspired by everyday beauty filtered through my own lived experience. Many of my ideas emerge after moments of emotional intensity or stillness, when a feeling lingers and asks to be translated visually. Traditional East Asian symbolism, mythic animals, and auspicious forms often surface intuitively as I work, helping give shape to those emotions through carving.

Artists who inspire me include Junji Ito and Audrey Kawasaki

What was your journey to becoming an artist?

I rediscovered my childhood love for art a few years after graduating college. After training to become a software engineer, I found myself turning back to creative practice as a way to balance my screen-heavy, highly technical career. When the pandemic began in 2020, I experimented with block printmaking and immediately fell in love with the medium.

The tactile, hands-on nature of carving and printing felt grounding and deeply satisfying — a meaningful contrast to my day-to-day digital work. What began as curiosity quickly grew into a dedicated practice.

Today, printmaking is an integral part of who I am. It has become both a creative outlet and a way of connecting more deeply with myself, my culture, and others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it!

Where can we find your art?
www.kintsugiprint.studio