Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Weichen Lou has developed a passion for nature and culture preservation.
Through his films and photography, he tells the stories of those who might be voiceless in situations and
challenges narratives that have been so long accepted as normalcy. His distinct connection with cameras
led him to explore the interplay among colors, movements, and narratives — all of which are deeply
inspired by natures intricate patterns, the ever-changing urban environment, and the complex human
emotions that shape our experiences.

In September 2025, Wei-chen Lou’s Tracing Imprints and Fragment Memories (Piecing Together)
featured at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Gallery during Between Us, A Resonance: Stories of
Cultural Memory, Community, and Belonging. Both works address how memory, heritage, and belonging
are negotiated in shifting environments.

Tracing Imprints grew out of Lou’s first encounter with the Hoyu Folk Culture Festival in Philadelphia,
the largest Fujianese festival in the United States. Celebrating the birth of General Humin, revered as a
deity in Fujian Province, the festival enveloped Lou in vivid colors, sounds, and rituals. Although
distanced by language, he found himself pulled closer through patterns and gestures that transcended
words. The resulting work is a set of three videos shown side by side. Using digital effects—lines and
boxes that connect fragments of detail—Lou sought to capture not just what he saw, but the subconscious
impressions that lingered. “Being someone who might be considered an outsider,” he reflects, “how has
the festival invited me to be not only a viewer, but also a participant?”

If Tracing Imprints is about inclusion through resonance, Fragment Memories (Piecing Together)
confronts division. In rendering this perceptual experience, he created a set of three videos displayed side-
by-side. “This is a set of photo collages that depicts the stories of Philadelphia Chinatown’s effort to
protect their home and heritage from encroachment. After spending more than a year listening to the
stories of the residents in and around Chinatown, I began to photograph the rallies, and meetings that fill
in the gaps of the timeline. With these images gathered, I selected a set of photos that highlighted words

and symbols used during these events.” Liu finds himself working in a space where divisions come easily.
In this case, the debate is stark: one side rallies behind the preservation of Chinatown, the other pushes for
a new stadium. Through his photo-collage series, he reflects on the fractures that run between
communities. The work is less about taking a position than about urging patience and understanding in a
time when people are quick to choose sides. As he sees it, we are bound to share the same ground, this
Earth, for as long as time allows. And learning to understand one another, he suggests, is the only path
forward for both society and the species.

“Through visual effects and coding, I created lines and boxes that connected the details seen in each video
to what I might have consciously bypassed, but subconsciously registered during my experience of the
festival. My intention is to use these visual elements as a representation of my mental state. Being
someone who might be considered an outsider, how has the festival invited me to be not only a viewer,
but also a participant?”

In Between Us, A Resonance: Stories of Cultural Memory, Community, and Belonging, Lou’s works
whisper rather than declare. They reveal how personal memories intersect with collective histories, and

how art can transform silence into dialogue. It is built, piece by piece, through listening, resonance, and
the willingness to see beyond division.