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, 57th 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” – 10th Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai, 2014; The 5th Auckland Triennial: If you were to live here……, Auckland, 2013, etc.
Zhou Tao has participated in film festivals, including: 21st Jeonju International Film Festival - Expanded Cinema Section, Jeonju, 2020; 72nd Locarno Film Festival - Moving Ahead Section, Locarno, 2019; 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam - Bright Future Section, Rotterdam, 2018; Moscow International Experimental Film Festival, Moscow, 2018; 15th DocumentaMadrid - FUGAS Feature Film Section, Madrid, 2018; 55th New York Film Festival – Projections Section, New York, 2018.
He received the awards including “FUGAS Feature Film Section - Jury Award”, DocumentaMadrid in 2018, the 1st Prize of the Jury of the Ministry, 61st Oberhausen International Short Film Festival in 2015 and the 1st Han Nefkens Foundation BACC Award for Contemporary Art in Asia in 2013.
