1. Give an introduction of yourself or your organisation.

My name is Jiayi (Jane) Zhou, a Chinese visual artist. Art is my first language, as I became deaf at an early age. I majored in Environment Art Design at the Shanghai Institute of Technology, China before studying abroad in the USA. I first received a double BA degree in Graphic Design and Studio Art 2D, and later earned my MA degree in International Development, with a specific focus on art and disability. Last year, I proposed and implemented an international art exchange project that promotes deaf people’s cultural development and inclusion in China.

2. What is your work and what does it look like and what does it do?

I have created a portfolio of artworks focusing on expressing Deaf experiences, especially the experiences of Deaf women. The artistic media of my art works range from oil, to acrylic, pastel, woodprint, and linoleum print. They are used to express my aspiration to share my personal experience, to eradicate discrimination against the Deaf community, and to celebrate the joy of using Chinese Sign Language, and the beauty of the many sign languages that exist.