China born, London-based artist Zhu Tian received an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art in London, the UK (2014), an MA in Sound Design from Bournemouth University in Bournemouth, the UK (2007), and a BA in Economics from the University of Nottingham in Nottingham, the UK (2006). Moving effortlessly from object intervention to digital to performance to set piece installation, she presents works embodying discourse around the theme of power relations, freedom and individualism. Concerned by the automated routines of robotic individuals in today’s society, Zhu creates pieces which she describes as “hiccups – to interrupt and disturb.” Her work combines light humour with a sharp sense of critique, and is known for being ‘compelling and unsettling’.
Zhu has exhibited internationally at such venues as the V&A Museum in London, the UK, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France and the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands. She was the winner of the Catlin Art Prize (UK) in 2015, the Broomhill National Sculpture Prize (UK) in 2014, and was selected as the Emerging Sound Artist in the UK in 2009.