Meng Zhou

"It's quite fascinating. We talked about... fox poop and bento, 

a ‘creepy’ old house, Dunkleosteus, and dinosaur fossils."  

Time: Wednesday 14:00  

Location: Lambeth, London, UK  

Host: Independent artist Meng Zhou  

Duration of visit: 180 minutes  

Gift: Meng Zhou said fabric would do.

We arrived at the home of independent artist Meng Zhou,

located in London, at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon.

His house is situated on the south bank of the River Thames

and is one of the three oldest buildings in Vauxhall.

At that moment,

Meng Zhou and his Whippet dog were standing in front of the old building to greet me.  

"I didn’t know you had a dog!" I started the conversation with this new discovery.

"In Manchester, people call Whippets the Poor Man's Racehorse,

because greyhounds are the pets of the wealthy,

while Whippets are smaller, stronger, but have less stamina."

Meng Zhou began his initial social interaction with me through this bit of trivia.  

The reason he invited me on a Wednesday was that

the local council designated this day as garbage collection day.

Most Wednesdays,

Meng Zhou would be at home cleaning, 

and just before I arrived, the cleaning lady had just left.

"This is the cleanest my house gets all week," he explained.

The "garbage" issue was the first topic he wanted to share with us.

In the community, there’s only one day a week for garbage disposal,

if you don’t get rid of food waste in time,

it gets very smelly and attracts the neighborhood foxes,

which come to rummage through the garbage.

"After the fox rummages through the trash, it’ll leave a pile of poop at your doorstep," he said,

"Foxes, or canines, are actually low on the food chain,

so when food is scarce, they eat their own poop.

Before a fox eats, if there’s a food shortage, it won’t defecate,

because it’s like carrying its own bento box.

So after eating, when it feels full, it will immediately want to relieve itself,

which means ‘my bento is refreshed,’ emptying the stored bento and making room for new food."

Before entering his home, I had already learned something new.  

Today, Meng Zhou arranged a three-hour visit.

A tour around the house would take two hours;

introducing his works and chatting awkwardly, one hour.

He said that beyond three hours, his mouth gets too dry,

and his brain slows down, which is not ideal for socializing.

"What? It takes two hours to tour a house? That’s too long!"

I thought but didn’t say out loud as I walked into Meng Zhou's home.

Meng Zhou's antique collection corner

Meng Zhou's studio

fine: Start by introducing your home!  

Meng Zhou: I live in a Georgian house,

one of the three oldest buildings in Vauxhall, built around 1850.

At that time, London was still quite small; the north was the wealthy area,

and the south was wasteland.

This area used to be a "Pleasure Garden,"

where the rich would drink tea, chat, and take walks down tree-lined avenues.

Hardly anyone lived here—it was like a vineyard for the middle class.

During World War II, after changing ownership, this place became a "Stripper Club,"

offering some secret services to customers.

They say there was a tunnel on the other side of the river that connected directly to this house.

But that entrance has since been lost.

However, the other side is now MI6 (the UK Secret Intelligence Service).

Later, it became a rental house.  

fine: A vineyard + a strip club + MI6... has this strange old house ever had ghosts?  

Meng Zhou: The previous owner, the German editor of CNN, shared a story once,

he was cleaning the front yard when suddenly,

he heard a woman screaming from inside the house.

He ran back inside in a panic,

and at that moment, a bomb exploded on the street.

So he concluded that there was a rather kind “female ghost” living here.  

fine: What attracted you to this difficult-to-maintain old house?  

Meng Zhou: In London, buying an old house means more space.

This house is about 300 square meters, including living space and a studio—it meets all my needs.

If you want to live in a modern house, this price would only get you a place one-third of the size.

The challenge with old houses is that you’re constantly battling with them.

In the first year after moving in, it rained one day, and the sound of the rain was different from usual.

I went up to the roof and found all the rain pouring inside the house—I had to replace the entire roof.  

fine: I see you have collected saber-tooth tiger teeth, a pterosaur skull,

bird and butterfly specimens, an extinct fish fossil, dragonfly fossils, damselfly fossils...

are the dinosaur bones real? What’s a "damselfly"?  

Meng Zhou: I have a pterosaur skull and a Psittacosaurus fossil.

Psittacosaurus was widespread in Thailand, Mongolia, and China,

and it’s one of the most common dinosaur fossils.

A damselfly is similar to a dragonfly, but smaller.

They live by rivers or lakes, and unlike dragonflies,

their wings are folded, and they’re particularly small.  

fine: Do you like animals, or are you more interested in dead ones?  

Meng Zhou: I collect them more for fun—they don’t have decorative value,

but when displayed together, they’re quite interesting.

Fossils are like fragments of nature and humanity, and I enjoy reworking them.

Creating art is a bit like restoration, but not entirely.

The process is more like a conversation.

Let me show you something I recently made...

I’ve been restoring a wall piece using a starfish and sand dollar fossil.

I didn’t alter the fossils themselves but placed them in a new context.

The black area surrounding the starfish and sand dollar

is made of synthetic resin mixed with marble powder and black pigment—a type of hardening agent

similar to what you’d use for making flower pots.

Look at the starfish; it reminds me of the images of rituals or dancing figures from ancient murals.

The new patterns I made are also inspired by ancient dance symbols,

engaging in a dialogue between ancient and modern elements,

crossing cultures and time periods.

I’d like to reuse some fragments from my home in my works but without completely changing them.

For example, if a Buddha statue is missing a hand, I wouldn’t add a full hand,

but might sculpt two other hands holding it—giving the old object a new interpretation.  

fine: Why is there a mouse hole in your house?  

Meng Zhou: It’s a historic mouse hole.

In English, there are two words for mouse: Rat and Mice. Mine is more like a Mice, a little cuter.

The hole has been preserved there for years.

The previous owner even painted the inside when repainting the house, indicating there are no more mice living inside.

I bought a copper mouse sculpture online.

It looked strange anywhere else,

but placing it by the hole, like a new tenant moving in, made it feel a bit cozy.  

fine: What’s your favorite item in your collection?  

Meng Zhou: I’m quite fond of the weaver bird nest hanging from the beams in my studio

—it’s from Thailand.  

fine: A weaver bird’s nest? What’s special about it?  

Meng Zhou: It’s pretty silly, actually.

Weaver birds build new nests every year.

Their nests look huge, like they should have multiple rooms,

but in reality, only a tiny part is usable—about the size of a bathroom.

The nest is mostly an illusion, and there’s hardly any space for the bird to move around...

it’s just kind of dumb.  

fine: Amid all these ancient collections,

why is there a modern portrait of Colonel Sanders from KFC?  

Meng Zhou: That’s actually quite hard to get.

This kind of brand culture is strictly protected.

After the store is dismantled, all the decorations must be reclaimed

—you can’t find them on the market.

Think about Starbucks, McDonald's, and KFC

—you almost never see their decorations sold online.

The seller of this piece was a Polish person.

Strangely, many quirky Polish sellers deal in items like these.

Maybe it suggests that Polish people aren’t very ethical when it comes to these things?  

fine: With so many collectibles in your home,

if you ever had to leave, what would you definitely take with you?  

Meng Zhou: Leave here? Are you talking about fleeing?

This is a tough question.

Sometimes, when I return to China for three months,

I just take a small carry-on bag—very convenient.

It’s easy to switch between different modes of life.

For example, in an old house like this, I want to be surrounded by these objects.

But when I go to work elsewhere or take up an artist residency,

I prefer to empty everything out and return to a minimalist state.

At such times, the cleaner you are, the better—like a blank slate.

Bringing too many things from your previous environment makes no sense.  

fine: Being surrounded by fossils, do you ever feel scared of “ghosts” at night?  

Meng Zhou: People who stay in our guest room often have trouble sleeping

because there are many burial items displayed there

.

Whether from Africa, Egypt, or ancient China,

these burial objects were crafted differently from everyday items.

They tend to be more beautiful and colorful since ordinary items were more practical.

Once, a kid stayed in the guest room and called his dad, saying,

"Dad, I’m in a really cool room."

His dad looked and asked, "Can you sleep with all these things around?"

You see, I have an African mask in the guest room—it’s called a death mask, but I think it’s quite cute.

Look at that black circle around it—it’s reminiscent of a character from a Japanese anime.  

fine: Is there a corner of this house where you feel most comfortable?  

Meng Zhou: Even though the house is big,

I mostly use just two spaces—my bedroom and the kitchen.

In the kitchen, you’ll see the dining table piled with jars and containers,

all filled with toxic and harmful materials for my works...

Since there’s a sink there, it’s convenient for creating.

Being an independent artist is not a regular job

—you make your own rules, and there’s no standard to follow.

I find inspiration in the strange, quirky things around the house

—whether from nature or human culture.

It’s a pretty beautiful state for me, and I feel quite comfortable in it.  

fine: Is there any etiquette for young people visiting friends’ homes in London?  

Meng Zhou: The atmosphere at my place is more like a studio,

so when people visit, it’s more like a gallery tour than hanging out with a friend.

The first time people come, they’re usually quite interested, taking pictures here and there.

But after that, they’re less inclined to visit frequently,

maybe out of fear of disturbing me.

The whole house gives off that vibe.

I don’t sit in the living room to watch TV or play video games—it’s not particularly "chill."

I live alone, and sometimes I feel like I’m living a bit of a retired life,

taking my dog for a walk, watering plants.  

fine: When guests come over, what do you like to talk about?  

Meng Zhou: When older folks come, they usually share stories from their past.

Younger visitors are more drawn to the colorful and quirky things in the house,

taking photos of everything.

I have a huge wasp nest, and people always touch it.

It fascinates me—no matter where people come from,

when they see something they’ve never seen before, they want to touch it.

It’s a way of getting to know the world.  

fine: Finally, introduce me to one more thing, whether it's your work or something else.  

Meng Zhou: Talking about my own work is a bit boring.

I have a Dunkleosteus fossil, and I think it’s pretty cool.

These fish lived in the ocean and grew as big as whales.

Their bones rarely survive in full fossil form.

In Scotland, there’s a particular subspecies where Dunkleosteus could be as small as 50 cm.

By studying these small fossils, researchers can understand the larger Dunkleosteus’ anatomy,

such as skeletal shifts and muscle structure.

I’ve preserved a complete Dunkleosteus fossil specimen,

and although most people don’t seem too interested, I really like it.  

fine: OK, I’m leaving now. It was a pleasure!

Tell me one good thing that happened in your home.  

Meng Zhou: During the pandemic,

my garden was a bit neglected, and a fox dug a hole in the backyard and gave birth to a litter of cubs.

They often bring back strange things, like a shoe.

I looked up information on how to catch or raise foxes,

but then realized it’s tough to domesticate wild animals,

so I’ve decided to "virtually raise" them instead.

I set up a camera in the backyard, and on May 13, 2021, I caught a little fox on camera.

Sometimes, to attract them, I leave food like chicken breasts.

I also once put out fish and chips, but they ate the chips and left the fish.

It seems even foxes aren’t fans of the UK’s national dish.  

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1. Weaver birds like to live in groups, often building dozens of nests on a single tree.

In South Africa, some species of weaver birds share nests, with each pair having its own entrance.

The communal nests built by these birds resemble large haystacks hanging from trees.

These birds, native to Africa, are skilled architects, using various materials to construct their aerial "apartment buildings."