Kerui Zhou

Untitled series

Undated

Medium:

Acrylic on canvas

Dimension:

12 x 12 in

These two artworks explore the ambiguity and boundless potential of youth. This ambiguity mirrors the state of youth itself—a phase where endless possibilities stretch out before them, full of curiosity and imagination.

In the first, a child gazes out with a curious yet confused look. The child’s face, suspended between wonder and perplexity, illustrates the complexity of feelings that cannot easily be categorized. In the second, a sleeping child with an expression hovering between a smile and tears, leaving the viewer unsure of their emotional state even in dreams. Both works emphasize the sweet and bitter ambiguity of childhood, where emotions are fluid, and identities are still being shaped. The children embody the existential question of "to be or not to be," though not in terms of mortality, but of potential.

Every moment in one's life is a crossroads, a point of choice where identity and future are still fluid, yet to be determined. This expression of unformed potential is both exhilarating and overwhelming, reflecting the lightness of being and the weight of possibilities.

About the Artist

Kerui Zhou

Kerui Zhou is an artist working primarily in oil painting. Their artistic method is deeply anchored in the spontaneity. Their palette is intentionally vibrant yet nuanced, designed to provoke a deep, visceral response from the viewer. In the use of color field and fluid forms, Their hope is to bring out layers of depth and emotion. The ultimate goal is to draw viewers into the magical realm of ultra-reality that reveals something ubiquitous yet invisible in the precious yet fleeting moments of life. They are currently focusing on intimacy and strangeness. The prior one is on the interpretation of male body through a feminine lens within intimate relationships. The other is about dissecting the encounter with certain mesmerizing strangers whom one might never meet again. They recently finished their BA in Visual Art Studio and Philosophy with a minor in Film Studies at UCSD.

Kerui Zhou

Untitled series

Undated

Medium:

Acrylic on canvas

Dimension:

12 x 12 in

These two artworks explore the ambiguity and boundless potential of youth. This ambiguity mirrors the state of youth itself—a phase where endless possibilities stretch out before them, full of curiosity and imagination.

In the first, a child gazes out with a curious yet confused look. The child’s face, suspended between wonder and perplexity, illustrates the complexity of feelings that cannot easily be categorized. In the second, a sleeping child with an expression hovering between a smile and tears, leaving the viewer unsure of their emotional state even in dreams. Both works emphasize the sweet and bitter ambiguity of childhood, where emotions are fluid, and identities are still being shaped. The children embody the existential question of "to be or not to be," though not in terms of mortality, but of potential.

Every moment in one's life is a crossroads, a point of choice where identity and future are still fluid, yet to be determined. This expression of unformed potential is both exhilarating and overwhelming, reflecting the lightness of being and the weight of possibilities.

About the Artist

Kerui Zhou

Kerui Zhou is an artist working primarily in oil painting. Their artistic method is deeply anchored in the spontaneity. Their palette is intentionally vibrant yet nuanced, designed to provoke a deep, visceral response from the viewer. In the use of color field and fluid forms, Their hope is to bring out layers of depth and emotion. The ultimate goal is to draw viewers into the magical realm of ultra-reality that reveals something ubiquitous yet invisible in the precious yet fleeting moments of life. They are currently focusing on intimacy and strangeness. The prior one is on the interpretation of male body through a feminine lens within intimate relationships. The other is about dissecting the encounter with certain mesmerizing strangers whom one might never meet again. They recently finished their BA in Visual Art Studio and Philosophy with a minor in Film Studies at UCSD.

Kerui Zhou

Untitled series

Undated

Medium:

Acrylic on canvas

Dimension:

12 x 12 in

These two artworks explore the ambiguity and boundless potential of youth. This ambiguity mirrors the state of youth itself—a phase where endless possibilities stretch out before them, full of curiosity and imagination.

In the first, a child gazes out with a curious yet confused look. The child’s face, suspended between wonder and perplexity, illustrates the complexity of feelings that cannot easily be categorized. In the second, a sleeping child with an expression hovering between a smile and tears, leaving the viewer unsure of their emotional state even in dreams. Both works emphasize the sweet and bitter ambiguity of childhood, where emotions are fluid, and identities are still being shaped. The children embody the existential question of "to be or not to be," though not in terms of mortality, but of potential.

Every moment in one's life is a crossroads, a point of choice where identity and future are still fluid, yet to be determined. This expression of unformed potential is both exhilarating and overwhelming, reflecting the lightness of being and the weight of possibilities.

About the Artist

Kerui Zhou

Kerui Zhou is an artist working primarily in oil painting. Their artistic method is deeply anchored in the spontaneity. Their palette is intentionally vibrant yet nuanced, designed to provoke a deep, visceral response from the viewer. In the use of color field and fluid forms, Their hope is to bring out layers of depth and emotion. The ultimate goal is to draw viewers into the magical realm of ultra-reality that reveals something ubiquitous yet invisible in the precious yet fleeting moments of life. They are currently focusing on intimacy and strangeness. The prior one is on the interpretation of male body through a feminine lens within intimate relationships. The other is about dissecting the encounter with certain mesmerizing strangers whom one might never meet again. They recently finished their BA in Visual Art Studio and Philosophy with a minor in Film Studies at UCSD.