Jialin is a producer, curator, and filmmaker, and writer. Through exhibitions, screenings, workshops, and audiovisual installations and performances, she curates cross-disciplinary narrative spaces that evoke experiences between the public and the intimate. Her work explores spirituality, queerness, ESEA diaspora, and environmental justice.
In May 2025, Jialin curated a screening and poetry reading at Atlas Cinema, a small underground space tucked beneath a railway bridge in London. The event focused on Nuosu cosmology and ecological spirituality. Here, she is pictured moments before the audience arrived, quiet, composed, holding space between worlds.
Last year I visited Xichang, the capital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. I met some friends and members of an Yi organisation I'd met while applying for funding, learning a great deal about their beliefs, religions, and culture. I've always been interested in metaphysics and wanted to see how other ethnic groups view these things. I grew up in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, an industrial city with a relatively homogenous and somewhat boring culture. I'm particularly interested in people with their own complete belief systems and ecosystems. In Xichang, I asked local friends if they had their own religious beliefs, and they told me about the ‘Bimo’ faith and recommended a related documentary. Later, I met some Yi artists and felt their works could effectively engage in dialogue with the documentary, which led to this screening.
Sometimes, once a piece is finished, you forget how much you've put into it. It's just a few minutes' worth of finished product, but behind it lies a long period of labour. This ‘gap’ actually motivates me to continue creating. For example, in my recent three-screen video installation, I want the viewer's attention to follow the movement of the images, even to turn their heads and feel the rhythm. There is dancing in the video, accompanied by electronic music, and I want the viewer's body to participate, rather than just sitting there and watch.