Yujie Duan
About
I am Yujie Duan, born in 1999 in China, now a contemporary video artist based in London. My academic journey in art began at UAL-Central Saint Martins and continued at the Royal College of Arts, where I specialised in contemporary art practice. My work is deeply rooted in exploring the intricacies of female labor, with a focus on service-related activities like cleaning. Through my work, I aim to challenge and redefine the conventional narratives surrounding gender politics and the valuation of female labor within both domestic and professional realms.
My approach tries to use surreal aesthetics to delve into the gestures and movements that characterise mundane tasks, revealing them as potent sites for broader social commentary. This exploration goes beyond surface interactions, probing the underlying performative nature of daily routines and the societal roles they reinforce. My art seeks to dissect the complexities of identity, resilience, and the often invisible labor that shapes women’s lives.
Drawing inspiration from both historical and contemporary sources, I strive to connect with themes of absurdity and the uncanny, influenced by Freudian concepts. These elements help frame my investigations into how everyday objects and actions can transcend their ordinary roles and resonate on a deeper psychological level.
My journey is also a personal quest to understand the performative dynamics in social interactions, influenced by choreographic insights from figures like Wayne McGregor. This perspective enriches my video creations, allowing me to explore the fluidity of human movements and their potential to convey complex emotional and cultural narratives.
As I continue to evolve as an artist, my aim is to foster a dialogue that bridges the gap between the personal and the universal, making visible the unspoken and overlooked aspects of labor and identity. My work is an invitation to viewers to rethink the ordinary, challenging them to perceive the hidden depths of everyday life and the enduring human spirit that animates it.
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