If you’ve ever found yourself pausing to take in the layered, intimate artworks inside Union Hotel’s guestrooms — you’re likely looking at the work of Wang Zi. A Toronto-based artist originally from Yihuali, Nanjing, China, Wang Zi weaves memory, sound, and lived experience into her creative practice.

Her contributions to Union Hotel are quiet yet powerful. In this space, where stories and strangers intersect daily, her art meets people mid-journey — and offers a moment of stillness, softness, and reflection. We caught up with Wang Zi to talk about her creative path, her perspective on hotels, and the unexpected art of people-watching in the Financial District.

What’s your favourite thing about hotels?

“The transient nature of them,” she tells us. “People come to stay in a space collectively with various purposes, and disperse during the day, back for the night. It’s like an ancient communal living — but with more personal space.”

It’s a perfect way to describe the spirit of Union: a place where everyone is going somewhere, but for a moment, we all meet under the same roof.

“Art that listens, not just speaks”

Wang Zi’s work across media — from collage to sonic poetry and video — is driven by lived experience. Her body of work considers the body itself as a vessel and the relationships we form with others as water: fluid, essential, ever-changing.

In her guestrooms at Union Hotel, her pieces invite you to slow down and feel. To view art not just as something to be looked at — but to be gently pulled into. Her layered style mirrors the layered identity of Union: rooted in place, open to interpretation, and deeply human.

From Yihuali to Upper Beach

Wang Zi’s journey to Toronto began in 2006, when she moved to the city for school. Raised in a red-brick military compound with a rich and complex history — including ties to the legendary Du Yuesheng and a former Portuguese Ambassador — she brings an early familiarity with story-filled places to her practice.

Today, you might find her taking walks near Gerrard and Main Street in the Upper Beaches, her current favourite Toronto neighbourhood. Or you might spot her in the Financial District, quietly watching the city go by.

“Everyone seems to have a clearly structured 5-year plan,” she says with a smile. “People-watching there is like chewing on primary sources. The best way to experience art is outside of a gallery.”

On advice, ambition, and art as a side gig

Wang Zi’s advice for young artists? Don’t race — juggle. “You don’t have to be making art all the time to be an artist. Eat good food, hug your friends, sleep well.”

And while she doesn’t measure her success in traditional wins and losses, her community-based storytelling workshops are some of the moments she’s most proud of. “Every participant is a new opportunity to learn — I genuinely appreciate the trust, care and love of my community.”

Wang Zi also offers a refreshing take on the art world hustle: “Unpopular opinion — art is one of the best side jobs you could have. The Canadian grant system is comparatively friendly to emerging artists. Navigate today!”

You’ll find Wang Zi’s thoughtful pieces in our guestrooms — quiet witnesses to your own unfolding story at Union. Whether you’re here for a night or a week, her work is here to meet you in that beautiful, fleeting space between arrival and departure.