As part of this residency programme, we recruited a diverse group of urban dwellers with a range of social and geographical backgrounds. We selected five groups of talented artists to participate in the programme, each tasked with excavating and perceiving Hangzhou through a unique lens. Through their personal experiences, collective memories, and exploration of the city's natural and historical contexts, these artists engaged with local communities and institutions, stimulating each other's creative visions in the process. As a result, the local nature of Hangzhou was experienced at a much richer and more meaningful level, creating a deeper connection between the artists and the city itself.
Residents: Cai Binhui, Chen Dandizi, Xiang Yao, Wugeng&Zeyu, Zhao Yu
Cai Binhui
Lives and works in Chengdu.
Cai Binhui is an artist who excels at creating new visual languages through the use of physical materials. Her artistic practice is primarily focused on interactive video installations and experimental book bindings, which allow her to explore the intricate relationship between urban spaces and people. By observing the urban environment, Cai creates visual works that express the multi-dimensional nature of daily life and space. The interactive nature of her installations encourages participants to engage with the work and become an integral part of its language. Through her innovative approach to art-making, Cai Binhui offers a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on the relationship between people and the spaces they inhabit.
Chen Dandizi
Lives and works in Guangzhou.
Chen Dandizi's artistic practice is characterised by a seamless integration of various media forms, including video, installation, photography, and literature. These elements work together to illuminate intimate and fleeting moments in time, as well as the complex emotions they evoke. Her work explores the perception and experience of encounters with recurring phenomena in both the natural and artificial world. Through her art, Dandizi delves into central themes such as self-knowledge and the observation of her lived environment. She seeks to reveal the hidden connections between unique moments and emotions, showcasing the fleeting nature of these experiences. The heart of her creative process lies in capturing and expressing the essence of these brief yet profound moments, inviting viewers to reflect on their own encounters with the world around them.
Xiang Yao
Lives and works in Wuhan.
Xiang Yao is a versatile artist who expresses herself through multiple mediums, including animation, video, illustration, and theatre. Her artistic style is characterised by a relaxed yet precise visual language, which aims to connect the inner and outer worlds by capturing the abstract nature of things on video. Xiang Yao's works often revolve around social issues and the mental state of marginalised individuals.
In recent years, Xiang Yao has expanded her artistic horizons by exploring physical expression and bodily movements. Her focus is on connecting with others and the environment through physical expression. This has led her to venture into the realm of space, where she aims to explore the human body's expression in a three-dimensional environment. Xiang Yao's artistic journey is a testament to her creative versatility and commitment to exploring new forms of expression.
Wu Geng & Wang Zeyu
Wu Geng and Wang Zeyu first met as members of the Tactileye group, which focuses on the research and practice of tactile art. Both artists share a passion for art and social practice that engages the senses, breaks down barriers, and draws inspiration from everyday life. While they both utilize touch and sound in their creative process, Wu Geng's sighted perspective and Wang Zeyu's visual impairment create a dialogue of "seeing or not seeing," which inspires their ongoing collaboration. The intersection of their diverse backgrounds and experiences sparks novel creative ideas and cross-border collaborations. They believe that their different life experiences can result in unique and innovative creative expressions. As they continue to work together, they aim to push the boundaries of tactile art, explore new sensory experiences, and challenge conventional ways of seeing and perceiving.
Wu Geng
Lives and works in Guangzhou.
Wu Geng’s research and art works mainly focus on somatics, behavior and performance, care about how daily inertia/social environment shapes and influences our behavior/psychology and body initiatives. She regards herself as the vibration frequency to observe and tune into the relationship with others and nature, practices in different places such as streets, vernacular dwellings, parks, art spaces and ruins, and explores whether “Alasa" (a combination of feeling and sensing) can be a research method to supplement and expand the text/image study.
Wang Zeyu
Lives and works in Guangzhou.
Wang Zeyu engages in social practice through various means, including narrative writing, art creation, oral video promotion, event planning, cross-border communication, case service, consultation, and interviews. Her aim is to use a range of artistic forms, such as touch and sound, to explore marginal cultures and the interplay between mainstream narratives and diverse perspectives. Her work is focused on fostering discussions and interactions with a wider audience, as she seeks to bridge the gaps between different groups and communities through her creative practice. Her approach is multidimensional, and she employs a mix of media to communicate her message effectively. Through her work, Wang Zeyu hopes to promote an understanding of diverse cultural perspectives and encourage social change.
Zhao Yu
Lives and works in Shanghai and Paris.
Zhao Yu's art focuses on shifting the perspective from "self-culture" to "other-culture" and reflecting on the deeper spatiotemporal framework. She employs various media, such as images, videos, writing, and installations, to translate the world around us. Drawing on her personal experiences, Zhao Yu reconstructs scenes by borrowing elements from semiotics, literature, and social disciplines. This approach results in the presentation of a "new" narrator that questions the authenticity of history as an "intruder" and explores the complex connections between the original and the copy.
