Kaiqi Zhang’s New Book The Art of Kaiqi Zhang to Be Released Soon

Written by Kelly Walker

Costume Designer, artist, and scholar Kaiqi Zhang will present the book launch of The Art of Kaiqi Zhang in Los Angeles, showcasing a comprehensive overview of her artistic practice in recent years. Officially published in 2026, the book features nine representative creative chapters, each dedicated to a distinct project. Spanning fashion art, character construction, body studies, conceptual creation, and interdisciplinary visual practice, the publication offers a systematic presentation of Zhang’s artistic research and creative development. 

Centered on the artwork as a primary creative medium, The Art of Kaiqi Zhang explores themes including the body, identity, desire, memory, power structures, family dynamics, and social experience through investigations of scale, materiality, spatial relationships, and visual expression. Each chapter examines the conceptual motivation, artistic strategy, material and technical applications, visual outcomes, and research findings behind the work, providing readers with a clear understanding of the complete process from concept development to final realization.

The launch event will feature selections from the publication, while several of the featured works will also be presented in a concurrent exhibition. Through processes of wrapping, extension, transformation, and bodily intervention, the exhibited garments actively participate in the construction of physical experience, reshaping spatial relationships and visual perception. Psychological pressure, social conditioning, and emotional memory are translated into tangible artistic forms, offering audiences an immersive and multisensory encounter.

As a comprehensive reflection on a significant stage of her artistic development, the publication and exhibition of The Art of Kaiqi Zhang mark an important milestone in Zhang’s professional trajectory within the field of fashion art. The nine projects form a continuous line of inquiry that moves from questions of individual existence, desire and greed, bodily alienation, and self-consumption toward explorations of relationships, memory, women’s experiences, and collective structures. Together, they address a central question that has guided Zhang’s long-term practice: how clothing acts upon and transforms the body.

Beyond her artistic practice, Kaiqi Zhang’s academic research has also received international recognition.

Her scholarly article, How Algorithms Understand Character: The Cultural Mediation of AI Material Models in Theatrical Costume Design, has been published in Scientific Culture, an internationally recognized peer-reviewed academic journal indexed by Scopus. The journal ranks within the Q1 category across several related disciplines, including archaeology, history, humanities, and cultural heritage studies, placing it among the top 25 percent of journals in these fields. As a leading platform for interdisciplinary scholarship bridging the humanities, arts, and technology, Scientific Culture maintains strong academic indicators, including an Impact Score of approximately 1.35, an h-index of 11, and an SJR of approximately 0.403. The journal has also maintained continuous Scopus indexing since 2019, reflecting its sustained international influence and scholarly credibility.

The research investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence and theatrical costume design, examining how AI participates in character construction and costume-related decision-making through material classification systems, visual data analysis, and algorithmic recommendation technologies. Drawing on case studies including a production of Hamlet by a Berlin theater company, experimental projects developed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and The Orphan of Zhao staged by The National Theatre of China, the study employs literature review, case analysis, and interdisciplinary comparison to explore how algorithms translate abstract character traits, emotional qualities, and cultural concepts into specific material selections and visual design strategies.

Within the article, Zhang proposes the theoretical framework of “Algorithmic Dramaturgy,” which explains the mediating role of artificial intelligence in the design process and outlines emerging forms of collaboration between designers and AI systems. The framework has contributed to ongoing discussions surrounding AI-assisted creative practice and demonstrates Zhang’s distinctive perspective and methodological innovation within the field. Publication in a leading international journal not only confirms that the research has undergone rigorous peer review, but also highlights her scholarly contributions to interdisciplinary research, providing authoritative recognition of both her academic and creative work.

Taken together, Zhang’s forthcoming book launch and her published academic research demonstrate a mutually reinforcing relationship between artistic practice and scholarly inquiry. The publication and exhibition provide the public with direct engagement with her creative methodology and artistic innovations, while the academic article showcases her research capabilities and international scholarly impact through rigorous analysis and publication in a respected journal. Together, these achievements underscore Kaiqi Zhang’s significant contributions to both fashion art and interdisciplinary research, reflecting her professional value within the international artistic and academic communities.

The launch of The Art of Kaiqi Zhang and its accompanying exhibition offer artists, scholars, designers, and the broader public an opportunity to engage closely with Zhang’s creative process and research-driven practice. The event further strengthens her position within the international fields of fashion art and interdisciplinary studies, while opening new possibilities for dialogue across art, design, technology, and performance research. Through the combined platforms of publication, exhibition, and academic scholarship, Kaiqi Zhang’s work presents a compelling model for integrating artistic creation with intellectual inquiry, offering valuable insights for the future development of fashion art and digital performance studies.

Photo Credit: Kaiqi Zhang