Xiaopeng ZHOU

Xiaopeng Zhou, b.1985, China

Born in Guangzhou, China. Xiaopeng Zhou graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, China in 2008 and Berlin Weissensee School of Art, Germany in 2014. He currently lives and works in Berlin. His works are rooted in prolonged observation and everyday interaction in different contexts. Zhou seeks to relate and reflect upon various life experiences between individuals through paintings, videos, and installations.

Over the past three years, Zhou has been teaching an elderly woman E.S., who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, to draw and sketch. In the beginning, they drew flowers and trees together in the botanical garden. However, due to the pandemic, they shifted locations and regularly met at her home afterward. During that time, Zhou discovered her interests in philosophy, art history, and feminism. The emotional and physical labor exchange between two individuals leads to mutual caregiving and observation. A Flower Does Not Talk captures this journey of disability and healing as well as the intimate portrait of loss and (be)longing. (J.C)