Junchen Zhou (b. 1997) is a multimedia artist from China, currently based in London, UK. She earned her BFA in Fashion at Fashion Institute of Technology and MFA in Computational Art at Goldsmiths University. Her work explores the intersection of language, technology, and narrative structures, focusing on the collapse of communication in various forms of conversation and storytelling.

 

Junchen’s work consistently revolves around a subtle sense of awkwardness, exploring the delicate emotions that arise in human interactions. In social situations, we often experience those indescribable moments—brief silences, sudden distractions, uneasy movements. While language helps us express feelings, it also limits our ability to convey the most subtle emotions. In Junchen’s performances, the metaphor of “searching” is used to explore these emotional states. A recurring symbol is the elephant—when we are searching, we often lose our way. Are we looking for the elephant, or are we really searching for ourselves? Perhaps, in the end, we are the elephant.

 

Through this symbolic narrative, Junchen’s work delves into the relationships between self and others, examining identity and inner emotions in the process of searching and getting lost. This complex emotional tension reflects not only on the human experience but also on the boundaries of language and physical expression in performance art.