BIO

Kathy H. Zhou is an internationally recognized artist and educator with exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Italy, and China. She works across various mediums, including drawing, painting, animation, and game design, taking inspiration from artists like Brian Jungen, Claes Oldenburg, Do Ho Suh, Yin Xiuzhen, and Lin Tianmiao. Their use of soft sculptures and non-traditional materials has influenced Zhou’s practice, pushing conventional aesthetics's boundaries.

Zhou’s art explores the concept of "touch" as a physical and metaphorical connection, questioning how tactile interactions influence identity and personal expression. She uses her immigrant experiences as a foundation for examining cultural identity and belonging, often integrating personal narratives into her work. Humor plays a key role in her practice, serving as a tool to confront biases and ignite meaningful conversations about societal oppression and boundaries.

In addition to her art practice, Zhou is a Ph.D. student in Curriculum and Pedagogy at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. In 2020, she founded the interdisciplinary research project "Fall of Artica" (FoA). This game-based teaching tool helps STEAM educators facilitate inquiry-based learning in hands-on environments like art studios, science labs, and makerspaces. Her research interests span visual studies, contemporary art, critical literacy, knowledge media design, and utopian/dystopian studies.

Zhou’s work blends personal experience, artistic experimentation, and social critique, positioning her as a distinctive contemporary art and education voice.

CV

EDUCATION

2021 - Curr    Ph.D. Student,  University of Toronto 

2018 -2020    MA, University of Toronto 

2014 -2017    BFA, OCAD University

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2024    Wasteland, Prometheus Art Gallery, Oakville, Canada

Wanderers' Whispers/浮乡手信,  Toronto,  Canada

Mid Summer, Todmorden Mills Gallery, Toronto History Museums, Toronto, Canada

All You Can Eat, Northern Contemporary Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2023    Heterotopia Garden, OCAD University Graduate Gallery, Toronto, Canada

A Room of One’s Own, Toronto, Canada

E. W. S. N. Intersectionalism, Toronto, Canada

2020    Covid-19 Portraits, Gallery1313,  Toronto, Canada

2018    Attachment & Detachment: Emerging Young Artist (Toronto, Canada)

2017    Art Toronto 2017, Toronto, Canada

Gradex 102, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada

Forward Motion Screening, Ostello Tasso Theator, Florence, Italy

Una Piccola Scintilla, On Art Gallery, Florence, Italy

2016    Across the Ocean, film and video exhibition, New York City, US

Art of Leverage: Group Exhibition, Toronto, Canada

2015    Futura: Art and Technology Experimental Exhibition, Daniels Spectrum, Toronto, Canada

2014    Awenda Inspired Exhibition, Toronto, Canada Green Winter, group exhibition at OCAD

University, Toronto, Canada

Breakout, Toronto Subway Billboard Project, Toronto, Canada

2012    Drawing, House of Memory Gallery, Toronto, Canada

2009   Portrait of a Woman, Permanent Collection, SNUC, Visual Art Museum, Chengdu, China

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS

2025    Zhou, K. H., Pullen, C., & Slotta, J. D. (2025) Public Sphere in Dystopia: a Game-based 

Youth Participatory Action Research,  College of Art Association, 113th Annual Conference,

New York City

2024 Zhou, K. H., Fong, C., Pullen, C., & Slotta, J. D. (2024) From Youth Participatory Art to 

Vision and Action: A  Framework for Game-based Research-Creation, a short paper at

the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ICLS 2024, International Society

of the Learning Sciences.

2024 Zhou, K. H., Pullen, C., & Slotta, J. D. (2024) Digging the Abandoned Feelings

Out of the Wasteland:  Raising Trouble Makers through A Dystopian Critical Action

Game, a poster at the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ISLS 2024,

International Society of the Learning Sciences.

2024 Zhou, K. H., Pullen, C., & Slotta, J. D. (2024) A Critical Action Game: Fall of Artica 

Investigating new forms of collective inquiry for critical action, Roundtable Session titled

“Engaging Our Students & Ourselves: Teaching in New Dimensions and Contexts”, Division C

- Learning and Instruction/Division C - Section 1b: Humanities, Social Sciences, Fine Arts at

the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).

2023 Zhou, K. H., Pullen, C., Holmes, J., & Slotta, J. D. (2023). Supporting Collective

Inquiry in a Critical Action Game: A Role for Open AI Conversational Agents. In

Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative

Learning-CSCL 2023, pp. 428-431. International Society of the Learning Sciences.

2023 Zhou, K. H., & Slotta, J. D. (2023). A Dystopian Game for Change: Building 

Asynchronous Learning Network Through Co-Design Partnerships Across Disciplines. In 

Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of the Learning

Sciences-ICLS 2023, pp. 2169-2170. International Society of the Learning Sciences.

2023 Zhou, K.H., Slotta, J. D. (2023) A Dystopian Game for Change: Co-Design Partnerships 

In English, STEM, and Arts. Presented at a Poster Session titled “SIG-LS Poster Session 1:

Games, Embodiment, Design, and Computational Thinking” at the 2023 

Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). 

10.3102/IP.23.2017258

2022 Zhou, K.H. (2022). FALL OF ARTICA: A DYSTOPIAN GAME FOR CHANGE(Master Thesis,

University of Toronto).

2021    Raman, P., Carvalho, R., Ghasempour, E., Zhou, K.H, Slotta, J. (2021). Supporting 

Students’ Critical Action within a Cultural Context: A Role for Arts-based Pedagogy in a 

Community of Learners. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the 

Learning Sciences-ICLS 2022. International Society of the Learning Sciences.

PRESS

2024    Article, Critical Action Games: Examples of Critical Action Games Fall of Artica ( FoA 

Game) — ISLS 2023 tech innovation award, Critical Action Learning Exchange, Canada

2024    Article, THE LEARNING FLOWS BOTH WAYS IN LONGSTANDING OISE-UTS PARTNERSHIP: Brining in

New Teaching Methods, University of Toronto Schools, Canada

2023    Interview, Artist introduction for Artivition Projects, 105.6 radio, Canada  

2023    Interview, Kathy H. Zhou’s Artist-ResearcherJourney in Canada, University of

Toronto Chinese Alumni Association

2023    Interview, Giving back to the local art community as an AGO Curator Circle Patron, 

Magazine for Members of the Art Gallery of Ontario   

2022   Artist interview, Shinning Female Artrepreneur #BreakTheBias, Buick Canada 

2019    Interview, Artist introduction of 2116: Art Of Leverage, OMNI TV Exhibition (Toronto, Canada)

2018    Artist Interview, Kathy H. Zhou, Fairchild TV, Canada

2017    Interview, Numeroventi Artist Residency, Florence, Italy Film Screening,  “Florence, Genuine

Leather, Made in Italy,” Foreigners in Florence, Italy

2016    Artist Interview, Kathy H. Zhou, OMNI TV, Canada 

AWARD

2023   Outstanding Tech Innovation Award, Internation Society of Learning Sciences

2023   Ontario Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral Level) 

2022   Ontario Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral Level) 

2021   University of Toronto OISE Ph.D. Fellowship

2019   University of Toronto NEST Program Fellowship

2017   OCAD University Florence Program Fellowship

2017   OCAD University Career Launcher Prize Winner (Drawing & Painting)