Zoe Sou Eat

Your personal story is deeply connected to themes of identity and belonging. How does your background influence your artistic practice today?

It plays a huge role in my artwork. I have always struggled with identity issues and belonging. I am still on my personal journey. Through my project and my artwork, I process and heal my past wounds.

You mention that “home is not where you were born or raised, but where your loved ones are”. How is this idea reflected in your works?

Yes, I am a child of adoption, but I have never felt more loved by someone like my parents and the children from the orphanage. I have spent two weeks in the orphanage where I spent my first year. The children taught me a great deal about love and community. The piece miracle shows that love is abundant. It is made by them and reflects that family is more than just blood.

Many of your pieces are created on clothing. Why did you choose garments as your main medium, and what do they symbolize for you?

I tell stories through my clothes. Like most of us, we carry our stories with us. Especially traumatic experiences, we wear them like a badge of honor. It is a beautiful realization and comparison to know that we carry our experiences with us, but they do not define us, and we can also shed them like clothes.

Your works include drawings, symbols, and texts that feel very personal and raw. Are these elements based on real memories, imagined narratives, or both?

Yes, they are based on real stories. Every picture is related to an event that happened in someone’s life. Some of these happened in the past. Some of the images are the reality of the individual’s personal life.

How did your recent trip to Cambodia shape or transform your project? Did it change your perception of your roots?

The project is dedicated to the Cambodian community.
When I grew up, I experienced bullying because of my Asian appearance. As a child, I could not resonate with my roots. Visiting my homeland and the community helped me to reconnect with the culture, which really opened a new door for me.

Growing up as the only girl with darker skin in a small Austrian village must have been a unique experience. How has this shaped your voice as an artist?

As I described before, it totally shaped my voice as an artist. Due to my experience, I can resonate with a lot of people who have dealt with similar experiences. My experiences, the good and the bad, made me the artist that I am today.

What would you like viewers to feel or reflect on when they encounter your work for the first time?

My artwork should make those feel seen who are not- those who have suffered, neglected, or forgotten from our society.