Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shuyuan Zhou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shuyuan, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
My creativity stems from my continuous exploration of personal experiences, identity, and emotional connections. I have always believed that art is not only a form of self-expression but also a way for me to understand the world. Having experienced the trauma imposed by patriarchy, I use photography to examine the resilience and hidden emotional worlds of the women in my family. Struggling with beauty anxiety has led me to scrutinize my own body and scars, reflecting on the relationship between societal expectations and self-identity. As I move further away from home, I document the transformation of my hometown, searching for a place to rest between reality and memory. These personal experiences, intertwined with broader social issues, sustain the vitality of my artistic practice.
In my artistic journey, my creativity is also fueled by engaging with different people and experimenting across media. Conversations with my mother and female elders prompted me to contemplate family memory and intergenerational trauma—this dialogue not only enriched my work but also turned the creative process into a means of repairing relationships. Additionally, I do not confine myself to a single medium; instead, I explore photography, writing, and video installations to discover new possibilities for expression. Each new attempt, whether in technical experimentation or narrative shifts, expands the boundaries of my practice and keeps me engaged in the process of creation.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My artistic practice talks about themes of family memory, intergenerational trauma, and the social constraints imposed on individuals—especially women—within East Asian societies. Through photography, installation, and writing, I explore the intersection of personal history and collective experience. I usually use photography as a means of both preserving and reconstructing the past and question how images shape our understanding of identity and belonging.
What excites me most about my practice is the opportunity to engage in deep conversations with both my subjects and my audience. By combining archival imagery, staged photography, and text, my work usually invites viewers to reflect on their own experiences. The most meaningful moments for me are when viewers share their own similar traumas or reflections, creating a space for dialogue and connection through art.
Currently, I am expanding my exploration of cultural displacement and personal memory through a project centered on Chinatown in the U.S. There, I collect and photograph objects that feel out of place in American society, yet deeply rooted in my memories of China. By isolating these objects and presenting them in the format of bureaucratic government documents, I seek to emphasize the complexities of identity and how cultural artifacts become estranged from their original contexts—just as I, too, was reduced to a few thin sheets of paper when passing through U.S. customs. Through this and future projects, I hope to continue using art as a means of creating spaces for reflection, dialogue, and the reimagining of history.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back, three things have shaped my artistic journey the most: the habit of observation, the ability to engage in critical conversations, and the resilience to persist through uncertainty.
Observation has always been the foundation of my practice—not just visually, but emotionally and culturally. I pay attention to how memories shift, how trauma is passed down through generations, how societal expectations silently shape our identities. My work often begins with something small: an object that reappears in my memories, an offhand remark from my mother, a forgotten photograph. For those embarking on their own artistic journey, I think the most important thing is to slow down and look closely. The most striking ideas often emerge from moments that seem ordinary at first glance.
Dialogue is just as essential. Whether with my family, my subjects, or my peers, these conversations have helped me move beyond my own assumptions. Many of my projects begin with questions—questions I don’t yet have answers to—and it is through talking, listening, and reinterpreting that the work takes shape. My advice is to seek out those who challenge and expand the way you think. Art is rarely created in isolation, and learning to articulate your ideas, to critically engage with feedback, is just as important as the act of making itself.
And then, resilience. There will always be moments of uncertainty—when a project feels incomplete, when I question myself, when I struggle to see the next step. But I have come to understand that uncertainty is part of the process. Some of the most meaningful breakthroughs happen when I embrace the questions rather than rushing to resolve them. For those just starting out, I would say: don’t be in a hurry to find answers. Sit with the questions a little longer. Let uncertainty do its work.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Over the past year, my biggest area of growth has been gaining confidence in my artistic practice and learning to navigate the professional side of being an artist. Coming from a non-art background, I spent much of my first year in graduate school feeling uncertain about my path, but through a series of exhibition opportunities, I gradually found my footing. I began independently handling post-production, printing, and framing, reaching out to curators and galleries, and even working in the woodshop to build installation elements myself. These were things I once thought were beyond my abilities, but by stepping into each challenge, I’ve learned to take full ownership of my work—not just conceptually, but in every stage of its production and presentation.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @shuyuan.zhou.art
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.