At the heart of London's vibrant art scene, three young female Chinese artists are pushing interdisciplinary boundaries, and in the process quietly reshaping the conversation around identity, emotion and ecological consciousness. In their works, Tianhui Zheng, Weihang Zhu, and Mudai Li blend psychology, philosophy and aesthetics, offering a fresh perspective on what it means to be human in a rapidly shifting world.
Sculpting the subconscious
With her works, spanning animation, sculpture and multimedia, Tianhui Zheng, 25, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, explores the tension between analysis and intuition, transforming dreams and emotional fragments into visual poetry.
"I believe art is not only an outlet for emotional release, but also a tool for exploring and understanding oneself and the world," says Zheng, who hails from Wuhan in Central China's Hubei province.
Her standout piece Molar Moon, exhibited at London Craft Week 2025, was inspired by a recurring dream about losing teeth — a symbol of anxiety and loss in psychological theory. Using ceramic as her medium, she said she sought to contrast rough, jagged exteriors with smooth, luminous interiors to reflect the emotional transformation achieved through cognitive behavioral therapy. The result is a tactile metaphor for healing: a journey from chaos to clarity, according to Zheng.
"In her project Molar Moon, Tianhui links a hard part of the body — in this case teeth — with the need to crack oneself open in the face of hardship — at times led by anxiety and fear," comments Mijke van der Drift, a tutor at the Royal College of Art.
Van der Drift says that, working through this imagery with care and vision, Zheng offers solace for transformative experiences.
Zheng says her artworks invite viewers to engage with them not just visually, but emotionally and psychologically. Merging personal experience with universal themes, she says she's strived to create a space where vulnerability becomes a shared language.
