Artist Statement

My artwork draws inspiration from my personal life, as I often travel between cities and countries, deprived of security or stability at any location. The self-reflections I derive from these different cultures often conflict with each other due to their distinct structures, and I have inevitably inherited a sense of detachment ever since. In my work, I combine symbols from traditional Chinese, Egyptian, and mesoamerican art with my imaginary world to narrate autobiographical stories. I am obsessed with the image of monstrous creatures, a hybrid monster that represents the aggression in my life that I cannot make sense of; A beast that's both a threat in the outside world and an enemy from within myself. I use symbolism that corresponds to the power dynamic between an attacking force and defending self, which communicates the experience of being in a hostile environment and reconstructs a portrait of my contradictory self.

Chicago, IL

Gmail: zzou1@artic.edu