Yupei Zhu is a Deaf designer and artist, born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China. He lost his hearing at the age of three due to drug poisoning. In 2010, for his design work in U.S.–China educational exchange, he received the International Artistic Achievement Leadership Award from the Governor of Iowa. In 2014, he served as the second “Dream Ambassador” for the public welfare campaign Love Is Around Us, organized by China Central Television and endorsed by Jackie Chan, which supported children with disabilities in pursuing their dreams.
Since 2012, he has been self-taught in oil painting, developing a warm and dreamlike style. His representative series include Peach Blossom Spring and Spirit. He has been selected for more than ten exhibitions, held a solo exhibition Peach Blossom Spring in the City in Shanghai in 2022, and came to the United States in 2023 to further his studies. He is currently studying American Sign Language and Deaf Culture at Ohlone College, continuing to explore the intersections of art and identity.
Artist’s Statement:
The driving force behind my art comes from the silent world and the fantasies deep within my heart. Deafness took away my sense of hearing, but it made me more attentive to life through vision and touch. The Peach Blossom Spring and Spirit in my paintings are both a pursuit of an ideal world and a reflection of my inner softness and resilience.
Through warm and dreamlike imagery, I hope to create a poetic language that transcends sound—one woven from color, light, and form. For me, art is both a process of self-healing and a bridge for emotional connection. With my brush, I wish to give voice to Deaf culture and show the world different ways of being and infinite possibilities.
