Vitamin Creative Space

Biography

Born in 1976 in Changsha, Hunan Province, Zhou Tao studied at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and received a bachelor of fine arts in oil painting in 2001 and a master of fine arts in mixed-media studies in 2006. Currently lives in Guangzhou.

Zhou Tao finds visual and narrative materials for his arresting film works in the places and communities he encounters, and the narration of the film is often developed from the accumulation of the encountered moments. There is no single entry to the practice of Zhou Tao, through often subtle and humorous interactions with people, things, actions, locations and situations, Zhou’s videos invite us to experience the multiple trajectories of reality—what he once called the “folding scenario” or the “zone with folds.” Although all of his footage captures actual scenes, the poetics of Zhou’s visual narratives dissolve the division between fact and fiction. For him, the use of moving image is not a deliberate choice of artistic language or medium, instead the operation of the camera is a way of being that blends itself with everyday life.

Zhou Tao’s recent solo exhibitions include: Zhou Tao: Winter North Summer South, Times Art Center Berlin, Berlin, 2020; Zhou Tao: The Ridge in a Bronze Mirror, Times Museum, Guangzhou, 2019; Green Sun, an exhibition by Zhou Tao, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok, 2014. He has participated in international exhibitions and bienniales, including: Viva Arte Viva, 57^th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Venice, 2017; Sharjah Biennial 13, Sharjah, 2017; Tales of Our Time, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2016; APT8, Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 2015; “Social Factory” – 10^th Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, 2014; The 5^th Auckland Triennial: If you were to live here……, Auckland, 2013, etc.

Zhou Tao has participated in film festivals, including: The 46th Cinéma du Réel International Film Festival, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2024; Doc Fortnight 2024: MoMA’s Festival of International Nonfiction Film and Media, MoMA, New York, 2024; The 74th Berlin International Film Festival - Forum Expanded Section, Berlin, 2024; 21^st Jeonju International Film Festival - Expanded Cinema Section, Jeonju, 2020; 72^nd Locarno Film Festival - Moving Ahead Section, Locarno, 2019; 47^th International Film Festival Rotterdam - Bright Future Section, Rotterdam, 2018; Moscow International Experimental Film Festival, Moscow, 2018; 15^th DocumentaMadrid - FUGAS Feature Film Section, Madrid, 2018; 55^th New York Film Festival – Projections Section, New York, 2018.

He received the awards including “The 46th Cinéma du Réel International Film Festival-Short Film Award 2024”, “FUGAS Feature Film Section - Jury Award”, DocumentaMadrid in 2018, the 1^st Prize of the Jury of the Ministry, 61^st Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in 2015 and the 1^st Han Nefkens Foundation BACC Award for Contemporary Art in Asia in 2013.