Andrew Zou

Lives and works in Boston, MA

Artist statement

Photography is how I learn to understand the distance and connection between myself and the people I love. I grew up in a small farming village in southern China and moved to Boston in 2023. Moving between China and the United States has made me aware that home is not a fixed place, but something shaped by relationships, memory, intimacy and belonging. My photographic practice explores home, migration, intergenerational relationships, and queer identity. I primarily work with a 4×5 large-format view camera, making portraits of my parents, husband, artist friends, and people I meet through everyday life. I see the people I photograph as collaborators in an ongoing process of building relationships and sharing experiences. The slow process of working with a large-format camera allows me to spend time with people and pay attention to ordinary gestures and quiet moments. I am interested in the vulnerability, affection, grief and trust that develop over time. For me, photography is not only a way to preserve the past, but also a way to create connection and understand what it means to belong. My ongoing series "Hug Me Like You Mean It" explores my relationship with my husband, who is thirty-seven years older than me. We met on a dating app in 2024, and I have been photographing our shared life since the beginning of our relationship. Growing up in China, where love is often expressed through subtle acts of care rather than physical affection, my parents rarely hugged me. I...

Artwork