Issue 21 – In Conversation with .. 10!

YuYu, how did you initially become involved in
the digital art scene and what drew you to the
medium?
My involvement began without being fully aware
of what I was doing. As a millennial, I grew up
surrounded by digital art. Of course digital art in
the 90s and 00s was not the same as it is today
but it was there. Growing up in both the real and
virtual worlds, I feel our entire generation started
blurring the lines between them. We were more
inclined to welcome digitally enhanced art practices
and explore how those tools could be beneficial to
our practices.
My true connection with digital art creation began
during my architecture studies back in Taiwan. The
foundations I built during those years helped me to
transcend art and explore my narratives later on.
There is a sense of complete freedom in digital art,
explorations that were not possible a few decades
ago. I think that was what initially attracted me to
the scene.
Your art often reinterprets Western cultural
masterpieces with a contemporary twist. Can you
share more about your process for selecting and
deconstructing these historical works?
It all began coincidentally. When I first moved to
Europe back in 2014 there was a feeling of not
belonging that I was unable to shake off. Even
though in many aspects I felt very welcomed, the
lack of representation in public spaces bothered
me. I began modelling for photographers in an
attempt to put myself out there and show the world
the beauty of diversity, only to realize how their
narratives were not always aligned with what
I needed to express.
To help me navigate feelings of confusion and
frustration, I decided to act and create my own
stories instead. Using a borrowed camera and
lights, I attempted to take self-portraits in my
living room. Having had 0 technical background
in photography and lighting techniques, I used
classical paintings as a guide. I have always been
extremely passionate about classical works of the
Western art canon. Artworks from the
neo-classical and baroque periods had mastered
the art of generating emotions through lighting
and dramaturgy. In many ways I see them as
the predecessors of photography and cinema,
encapsulating complicated and often dark
narratives while maintaining an unparalleled sense
of beauty.
Still, something wasn’t enough. Even though from
a technical standpoint those works were undeniable
masterpieces, the lack of diversity was extremely
apparent. “What would happen if we switched the
narratives? If we used established imagery of our
past to discuss topics of our present?”
I asked myself. This is more or less how the idea of
‘infiltrating’ and altering the past became a practice
I still explore today.
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