My Utopia portrays a simple, circular animated character on a quest for happiness and escape from the trials and tribulations of life. Through hand-drawn animation, Jennifer Zheng vividly portrays items she associates with happiness and fulfillment, including food, music, cute animals, and financial stability. As the character encounters these sources of joy, its life force grows and a colored heart fills up. The heart symbolizes positive energy, happiness, or life force, as it often does in video games. Zheng’s work encourages reflection on the idea of utopia, its attainability, and its potential to be quantified, commercialized, or exploited.
---Emily Salinas---