Selena Zhu
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Fine Arts
Selena Zhu is a muslim Chinese American artist based in the Bay Area and raised in Beijing, China. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of San Francisco Her emerging work focuses on expressing her complicated relationship and experience balancing the Han-dominant culture which she was raised in and her Hui-Muslim identity which often finds themselves in conflict with each other. Exploring the intersectionality between her ethnic, religious,and national identities in trying to find balance between being part of the Hui ethnic minority group, a practicing muslim, and straddling both American and Chinese national identities. Her work involves interrogating the social, cultural, and political implications of her identities.
回族-回家
Between altar and aisle, loss and love, my work traces the journey of a Chinese Muslim revert navigating the spaces between Han tradition and Hui faith. An ancestor altar, layered with forbidden foods, mourns the parts of my culture left behind. The echoes of home I can no longer interact with. A wedding portrait, adorned with henna, mamian skirts, and salwar kameez, celebrates the joy of belonging found in reversion. Here, transformation is both tender and bittersweet adorned with a variety of cultures I was raised in. Behind me is a window panel from Al-Aqsa, a compass of faith. The Arabic translates to: “al Aqsa is my compass and Gaza is my heart”. Islam anchors me, but so does resistance. This is a story of shifting identities, inherited silences, and the beauty of becoming whole. In a way, returning home.WET PAINT
USFCA Design & Fine Arts
Class of 2025
Senior Projects