Qi Zhuang

Born 1999, China

Qi Zhuang is an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and animator based in London, United Kingdom. She received her BA in Illustration Animation from Kingston University in 2021 with a First Class Honours. Now studying at Royal College of Art (RCA), her works are influenced by Buddhism, phenomenology and symbolism, experiencing abstract cosmological ideas through intimate materialist ways with objects, sounds and body languages. Her previous projects shift across 2D animation, 3D animation, video, performance and installation, balancing reality and dreams in order to widen the fissures between the two.

Qi’s works have been exhibited in Russia, Singapore, U.S., U.K., India and China. As a researcher, her autobiographical essay “World, Symbol, Gaze” is archived in RCA library.

“All conditioned phenomena

Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow,

Like dew or a flash of lightning; 

Thus we shall perceive them.” 

Influenced by the Diamond Sutra, Qi is fascinated by the contradictions and the poetics contained in dreams, and the desire to awaken. Dreams are not real, but only in dreams do we have a chance to wake up. She uses metaphor-filled symbols and surreal tones to construct a period of time when reality and fantasy coexist- a film.

Qi has collaborated with sound artists, dancers, costume designers, scientists, photographers and animators, and is keen to explore various materials. As she collaborates with experts in different fields, her perspective often shifts between science, sociology and performing arts, leading her new ways of seeing. 

Survived from Illusions, 2023

Inspired by her dissertation, Qi's latest work has explored themes such as veil (concealing and revealing), the cycle of rebirth and the interconnectedness of beings, with the intention of inspiring viewers through her work to consider the shift in the duality between reality and illusion, and the feasibility of discovering the truth.

Working as a new 3D animator in Blender and Unreal Engine, Qi is interested in poly-imperfection, an opportunity to get closer to reality.