Today we’d like to introduce you to Shuoran Zhou.
Hi Shuoran, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started studying art since high school and practiced painting for several years. After getting a bachelor’s degree in oil painting, I discovered metalsmithing as the path I’m passionate to keep going on and earned a master’s degree in Studio Arts. This shift between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art allows me to have different perspectives in art. In my art practice, I trike to build an interactive and engaging viewing experience for the audiences. Therefore, I also found myself keen on curatorial works in terms of curating a space that serves as a bridge between artists and their audiences. Curating and making art is mutually contributing to each other in my practice, and I look forward to diverse opportunities that bring me growth in art.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I feel grateful having the chance to pursue my passion freely. I consider my path to be a smooth one where I truly enjoyed and appreciated every step along the way, including the struggles which I see as gifts. From my journey, the most important thing I learned is the ability to adapt into limited conditions and always see things with a positive perspective. This has been the momentum for me to keep being adaptable, creative, and productive in my art practice.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work addresses my personal struggles and deals with common stereotypes toward women and aims to provoke introspection and question those entrenched, stereotypical assumptions. I derive inspiration from my confrontational relationship with my mother, which arises from our differing perspectives and beliefs regarding the roles and aspirations of women. Originated from these unpleasant confrontations, my work embodies the assumptions and norms that affect my life. I make wearable objects with mixed materials to visualize these issues through craft and the property of the material itself, with the hope of resonating with people who have similar struggles to mine and advocating women’s autonomy.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
My Instagram handle is @shuoranzhou. Feel free to contact me for commissions or other forms of collaboration.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @shuoranzhou
Image Credits
Yaoxu Zong
