Yujie Zhou
they/she
Born in Chengdu, China. Based in Helsinki, Finland
Contact: yujiezhoustudio@gmail.com
Yujie Zhou is a Chinese visual artist based in Helsinki, Finland. They navigate performativity and a decoded notion of language through photography, textiles, video, and publishing. Based on the juxtaposition between their nationalist upbringing and their current life in Finland, their practice interrogates dominant historical narratives and power structures while reframing collective individuality.
Zhou completed a Master’s Degree in Arts with a Major in Photography and a Minor in Textiles—Materials and Structures at Aalto University in 2023. Selected solo exhibitions include QWERTY at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte, Helsinki, Finland (2023), Four Women at Photographic Centre Peri, Turku, Finland (2023), and White Shadows at Taidekeskus Mältinranta, Tampere, Finland (2024). Group exhibitions include MoA 23 at the Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland (2023); Make Me Find You at alpha nova & galerie futura, Berlin, Germany (2023); and Save as Text at the Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore (2024). Select awards and residencies include the FUTURES Photography Talent 2024 nomination by Fotogalleriet, Oslo, Norway; the Finnish Art Society’s Young Artist Grant (2023); Kone Foundation’s Saari Residency Fellowship (2024); and an 11-month Artist-in-Residence at HIAP (2024).
[image credit: Shunyang]
Education
2021-2023 Master of Arts, Major in Photography, Minor in Textiles—Materials and Structures
Aalto University, Finland
2015-2019 Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering (3+1 program)
University of Illinois Chicago, US (one year)
Changchun University of Science and Technology, China (three years)
Solo Exhibitions
2024 (upcoming)Vent Space, Tallinn, Estonia
2024 White Shadows, Taidekeskus Mältinranta, Tampere, Finland
2023 QWERTY, Photographic Gallery Hippolyte, Helsinki, Finland
2023 Four Women, Photographic Centre Peri, Turku, Finland
2022 Four Women, BFoto Festival, Barbastro, Spain
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Save as Text, Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore
2024 Way of the World - Works from Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation Collection, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Rovaniemi, Finland
2023 I Made You To Find Me, Berlin Art Week, alpha nova & galerie futura, Berlin, Germany
2023 MoA in Photography 23, The Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland
2023 Performing the Photobook, FORMAT Photography Festival, Derby Museum, Derby, UK
2023 Tides, Espoo Culture Center, Espoo, Finland
2022 Booked, MUU Helsinki Contemporary Art Centre, Helsinki, Finland
2022 Wonder(ful), Dipoli Gallery, Espoo, Finland
2022 Daughter of Chaos, Goddess of Night, Mother of all, V1 Gallery, Aalto University, Finland
2021 Growing from Moss, A4 Art Museum, Chengdu, China
Selected Awards / Fellowships
2024 PhMuseum 2024 Photography Grant, Main Priza, Shortlist
2024 FUTURES Photography 2024, nominated by Fotogalleriet, Oslo, Norway
2023 Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland
2023 Young Artist Grant, Finnish Art Sociery, Finland
2023 New Gaze 4,Vontobel Contemporary Photography Sponsorship Prize, Finalist, Zürich, Switzerland
2022 EMERGENTE 2022 Award, BFoto Festival, Spain
2022 The 4th 1839 Photography Prize, Finalist, China
2021 Aalto University full scholarship
Residencies
2025 (April-June)Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, with Pioneer Works. New York, US.
2024 Saari Residency-Kone Foundation, Finland
2024 HIAP, 11-month Artist in Residency, Helsinki, Finland
2022 DAMA@Narva Art Residency, Narva, Estonia
2021 Yeshan Art Residency, Fuzhou, China