‘It was a racial hierarchy’: A conversation with Quan Zhou

Quan Zhou talks about her work and role as an activist in this interview. She discusses the evolution of her work, from comedic autobiographical gags to more solemn and narrative-oriented stories. With autofiction being the category that best describes her stories she is asked about why it helps her tell stories and why she thinks that it is so prevalent in today’s contemporary narrative. Living in New York during the time of the interview, Zhou talks about her experience being the first racialized person to ever be selected for the King Juan Carlos I chair in Spanish culture and civilization at New York University (NYU). The interview also brings to the forefront topics such as the need for representation and empathy, tokenism in the cultural industry, the use of humour as opposed to serious narratives, the impact of her work in the Chinese community in Spain and how she sees herself in the Spanish contemporary landscape. She delves into the idea of self-representation and the problematic dilemma of what is expected artistically from a racialized creator. For Zhou, art is about emotions and being true to herself, but always with a political and activist framework that allows her to convey a message.