Ji Zou

Contemporary artist Ji Zou is a Hmong Chinese American painter, illustrator and, sometimes, video artist. Their works are often created using digital painting, airbrushing and mixed media. In their work they often focus on themes revolving around the fragility of reality, the connection between waking and dreams and about how we can experience and feel things, even though they’re, sometimes, invisible. Other topics of interest to them are questions concerning emotions (about the self and about what it means to love).

Raised in suburban Michigan, they grew up in a cross-cultural, polygynous family. During their undergraduate studies in neuroscience and sociology, they became interested in meditation practices introduced to them by professors and friends. In their first 10-day silent meditation, painting was the only thing they could think of.

Ji Zou completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Michigan in 2016, and shortly after, they moved to New York City and began to work in commercial illustration and the restaurant industry. They continued to experiment as a digital painter for six years before attending Rhode Island School of Design for their MFA in illustration, graduating in 2024.

Ji Zou’s images have often been described as inhabiting an intersection between digital cultures, the erotic, the power of the subconscious and reality. In 2024, Ji Zou confirmed this in a conversation with Rubén Palma (‘Ji Zou on The Erotic, The Digital, and The Subconscious’, interview in Overstandard, 15 June 2024):

Being in art school was both a privilege and an isolating experience for me, as much of my time was spent in the studio. Consequently, a significant portion of my social interactions occurred in online spaces. This virtual reality is largely shaped by our subjective subconscious. The power of the subjective subconscious to alter our perception of reality, both online and offline, is profound and I’m interested in the ways this manifests for me. Seeking connection in the online space often intersects with eroticism, as content that captivates viewers fulfills a human need for connection. Eros, or love, is a fundamental human need. The question then arises: can we find this connection in our machine-driven world? Additionally, it becomes crucial to examine the subconscious programming of our brains—understanding how these subconscious influences shape our behaviors, perceptions, and interactions can provide deeper insights into our search for connection to others and ourselves in both the digital and physical realms.

Ji Zou currently lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

Works by Ji Zou have been included in the following group exhiptions: Gelman Gallery, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A., No Longer Transparent (2022); LARTIQUE, Paris, Double Shift (2022); Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Fractals of Fabulation (2023); Stilllife, New York City, New York, U.S.A., Molding (2023); Latitude Gallery, New York City, New York, U.S.A., A Happy Beginning (2023); Collaborations Gallery, Copenhagen, Finish Fetish (2023); Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., Swelter (2023); Land To Sea, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., Soft Fragments (2023); The Hole, New York City, New York, U.S.A., FEMBOT (2023); Vardan Gallery, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., A Room With a View (2023); Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., New New England (2023); Sol Kofler Gallery Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Arriving at The Exit (2024); Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Graduate Thesis Show (2024); Blahblah Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Self Reflection (2024); Shug Gallery, Norwich, United Kingdom, Girls, Girls, Girls! (2024); Toxic Arts, London, Private Life (2024); 1969 Gallery, New York City, New York, U.S.A., The Block is Hot(2024); CFHILL, Stockholm, Gazing Bodies (2024); and Studio Underground, New York City, New York, U.S.A., Fever Dream (2025).

Copyright Firestorm Foundation