MURPHY NILEZILING ZHOU
Murphy Nile (Ziling Zhou) is a transmedia artist with an MA in Computational Arts from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BA in Technoetic Arts from Roy Ascott Studio.
Working across expanded animation, audiovisual performance, and simulated 3D environments, his practice examines how technical images guide attention and shape behaviour, often before their influence becomes apparent.
His works often begin with familiar interfaces such as surveillance screens, flight displays, market data, and game environments. He pushes these forms until their apparent clarity begins to break down. The resulting worlds are dystopian, sometimes absurd, and shaped by an unease with technologies that seem efficient while quietly narrowing how we see and respond.
He was selected as a finalist for the Lumen Prize 2025 Experiential Award and was nominated for the UNESCO City of Media Arts Award at the IDIF Film Festival in Karlsruhe. His work has been exhibited and screened at venues and events including the ISEA Symposium, Milan Machinima Festival, SUPERBOOTH 24 Berlin, Unreal Fest, Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall, West Bund Museum, and UFO Terminal.
Education
MA in Computational Arts, Department of Computing, Goldsmiths, University of London
BFA in Technoetic Arts (Art and Technology), Roy Ascott - Technoetic Arts Studio, Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
- 2025Finalist for the Lumen Prize 2025 (Experiential Award) with the project “CONTROL CLUB”
- 2024Nominee for the UNESCO City of Media Arts Award with the film “CONTROL”
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2026Coastal Co-Art, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- 2026FORCED LOADING, made Terminal 2, Hangzhou, China
- 2026Symbiosis Protocols, GWANTSI Gallery, Shanghai, China
- 2025LOADING…ACCESS 3, UFO Terminal, Shanghai, China
- 2024SUPERBOOTH 24 Electronic Music Instrument Festival, Berlin, Germany
- 2024Evolutionary, SOME SPACE Gallery, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- 2024Goldsmiths Computational Arts Degree Show, Church Hall, St.James's, London, UK
- 2023De-Elemental, Galerie Met, Berlin, Germany
- 2023On Operation, Jishu Hall, Hangzhou, China
SCREENING AND PERFORMANCE PROGRAMS
- 2026REACTOR Pres. SCSI-9 (VJ — Murphy Nile), REACTOR, Shanghai
- 2026REACTOR Pres. Slim Soledad (VJ — Murphy Nile), REACTOR, Shanghai
- 2026WAVES CROSS Vol. 3 - Light Sampling, Cedar Land, Shanghai
- 2026Milan Machinima Festival (MMF), IULM University, Milan, Italy
- 2025Independent Days International Film Festival (IDIF), Schauburg Filmtheater, Karlsruhe, Germany
- 2024Video Art & Experimental Film Festival(VAEFF), Cinema Village, New York, USA
- 2023Technoetic Concert - From the Canyons to the Stars, Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall, Shanghai, China
- 2022Flowing Light 1st International Light Art Show Festival, Chongqing, China
- 20212^6 Technoetic Arts Exhibition - Audio Visual Live Performance, West Bund Museum, Shanghai, China
TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS
- 2026Speaker, ISEA 2026, Dubai, UAE
- 2025Speaker, Unreal Fest 2025 (Epic Games), Shanghai, China
SELECTED PRESS
- Al-Tiba9 Contemporary Art — Artist Interview: Murphy Nile (Ziling Zhou)
- The Lumen Prize — 2025 Experiential Award Finalist: Murphy Nile / CONTROL CLUB
- Milan Machinima Festival — Artist Interview: Murphy Nile / Control: The Uptime Protocol
- Goldsmiths Computational Arts — Murphy Nile Artist Profile
- Unreal Fest 2025 (Epic Games) — Speaker: Murphy Nile
- LOADING…ACCESS — Project Feature: Murphy Nile
- Glamcult — “3021 CAMPING” Visual Essay
RESIDENCIES
- 2026Coastal Co-Art residency supported by PAN Shanghai & ImaginationLancaster, Shanghai, CN & Lancaster, UK
