Yu-Chen Wang

Yu-Chen Wang's work asks fundamental questions about human identity at a key point in history, where ecosystems and techno-systems have become inextricably intertwined. At the same time, her Taiwanese origins, combined with a London-based career, have created a vision that is personal and autobiographical. Yu-Chen’s central practice is drawing, allowing her to explore and meditate on mechanical and biological forms, and the ways in which their bodily borderlines blur and mutate. From these extemporisations, she then finds collaborative routes that take her work into the realms of fictional text, provoking the subsequent production of sculptural installation, performance, music, and film, in various combinations.

Wang has exhibited internationally, including at Hayward Gallery, Barbican Centre, the ICA, Camden Arts Centre and Drawing Room, London; Manchester Art Gallery, Museum of Science and Industry, CFCCA and Cornerhouse, Manchester; Taipei Biennial and Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei; among others.

She recieved one of the 2018 Honorary Mention Collide Award, a partnership programme between Arts at CERN and FACT Liverpool and she was comissioned to develop her project We aren’t able to prove that just yet, but we know it’s out there, that has been exhibited in Broken Symmetries, an international touring exhibition at FACT, Liverpool (2018); CCCB, Barcelona (2018) ; iMAL, Brussels (2020); National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung (2020); Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn (2020-2021); Le Lieu Unique, Nantes (2021).

We aren’t able to prove that just yet, but we know it’s out there develops a poetic narrative of the histories of scientific research: pulling images and references from both personal and institutional archives related to scientists she interviews. Yu-Chen’s work establishes parallel lines between individual stories and historical documents available at the institutions where Wang has been researching, including CERN. This work has been also supported by National Cultural and Arts Foundation, Taiwan and Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government.