Yuanyuan Zhou

Yuanyuan creates environments that are mildly surreal and subtly violent, responding to childhood memories and observed situations. Through mixed-media installations, she conveys a sense of unreachable frustration, like a lucid dream trapped in a stalemate, where objects self-defeat in their pursuit of victory. Growing up under constant surveillance during her school life and experiencing frequent dislocation in family life has shaped her understanding of obedience, discipline, and vulnerability. Rather than resolving these experiences, her works hold onto their pressure. However, she treats the exhibition space as a stage or playfield, in which rules appear rigid, but outcomes remain uncertain, leaving room for hope. Through this setup,  she reflects on the difficulty of resisting established structures and the often futile, repetitive nature of struggle, where resistance and failure coexist.