Today we’d like to introduce you to Yitao Yuan

Hi Yitao, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

My journey as a practicing artist began at the prestigious Beijing Film Academy, where I immersed myself in the world of Digital Media Technology. The academy’s state-of-the-art facilities and demanding curriculum pushed me to gain a comprehensive understanding of digital media, mastering skills in 3D modeling, animation rendering, interactive design, and computer graphics principles. Surrounded by equally passionate classmates and inspired by the creative energy of the film school, I discovered my inner desire to express and create. A medium may be any means, mode, or material of making, or transporting. I ventured beyond traditional film creation, collaborating with new media artists and teams. I decided to embark on my journey as an independent new media artist.

After graduating with top honors, I am now pursuing an MFA in Digital + Media at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where I continue to push my boundaries as an artist. The immersive studio-based program has allowed me to delve deeper into my own artistic practice, engage in critical discourse with esteemed mentors and peers, and evolve into a mature artist.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I would say there is never a smooth road for an artist. Because what I believe is that the mission for me is always challenging and questioning traditional aesthetics and concepts. I will not be satisfied with the method of what other people are doing, which means I have to explore and discover my path towards an unknown place where no man has ever been to. The process of my art creation is like astronauts trying to land on Mars in some sense.

Frankly speaking, I struggle with my practice most of the time. Sometimes, I have to deal with material tests, new technical methodologies, and various unexpected failures. When facing unknown difficulties and obstacles, I always have the determination to succeed. I am thrilled to be an active learner because it constantly motivates me to research, develop new skills, and apply a wide range of software and techniques.

However, since my inspiration is always based on or related to my own experience, I inevitably doubt what reality is and the difference between it and the fiction I imagined. I have obviously lost control of my life between fantasy and the real. It sounds like a sort of existential crisis, which I guess is an issue becoming more common for all of us in modern society. For days when I was in New York, I switched between the two extremes of sleepiness and insomnia.

Fortunately, before I became a functioning alcoholic, I turned to my therapist and friends. With their sincere care and company, my life has escaped from the hollow abyss of feeling empty to knowing what my adventure direction is. I started to guide myself on the track and balance my life and work.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

My current body of work explores machine fetishism – the complex relationship between man-made machines and capitalism. As I delve further into this topic, I realize that machines are not only products of capitalism but also victims of it. In my art, I use fetishism as a metaphor for this estrangement, capturing the emotions of love, worship, and even fear that society places on these industrial marvels. Through my research and practice, I aim to shed light on how machines not only impact society but also leave a lasting impression on our individual inner worlds. Fetishism functions both metaphorically and literally in my research interests. It is also an actual emotion. Therefore, I turned to Gilbert Simondon’s approach to individuation and his term of technical objects. I must study it from both social and psychological perspectives, collective and individual.

More important and urgent for my research and creation is that even as Harvey David states: “It is always possible to do the right thing for entirely wrong reasons,” the development of machines and technology shows a tendency to be autonomous. At the same time, fetishism shields the concerns of being out of control with a veil of advance. All those debates and concerns haunt me to consider how technology will or is supposed to influence human beings in the future or how human beings lead the development of technology. The situation of technology and machines has changed dramatically nowadays. There are no more old mechanical designs; instead, there are cube black boxes coded and virtually existing AI systems. I believe it is time to review history and anthropology and combine them with the present in order to rethink and research in a new epistemology how, as technical objects, machines, through individuation, interact with humans’ individual and collective individuation. The intimacy between modern technology and humans, such as social media, gave birth to more complexity in our minds. As an artist, I am trying to understand the relationships between machines, between machines and humans, and the value of these relationships through my works.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?

Despite the serious and critical nature of my works and research topics, I have a deep love for humor. It may seem contradictory, but I believe it is necessary to maintain a balance in life. My work delves into the crises and problems of our modern society, yet I don’t want to become consumed by pessimism. Humor serves as an antidote, allowing me to find the motivation to continue challenging these issues.

However, as much as I enjoy comedy, my schedule always seems to be jam-packed. My taste is more nostalgic and I often sacrifice sleep to watch old episodes of Seinfeld or Friends, seeking comfort in the simplicity of their lives. I am a person who likes to be with friends, just like Seinfeld and his friends, Ross and his friends, even if they stay in their own small apartment room forever and do all kinds of stupid things, life is so interesting. In a way, I am like one of them, constantly grappling with the mundane aspects of daily life while trying to find humor in it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yitaoyuan.xyz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yuanyitaoyyt

Image Credits

Personal Photo is shot by Yoka Gong Instagram: @ohmygooong_