Yu Ji’s art is driven by an ongoing exploration of specific locations, intertwining geography and historical narratives. Her works, deeply rooted in field research
and daily life, express a keen interest in the interaction between the body and particular spaces. Starting with the materiality of her chosen media and focusing on sculpture as her core medium, Yu Ji has cultivated a unique artistic vocabulary. Her performances, occurring alongside sculpture exhibitions, transform art spaces into arenas where the delicate presence of humans and objects in their everyday surroundings is reflected and moderated.
Over the past decade, Yu Ji’s research has centered on Cambodia, exploring ruins, bodies, and civic spaces. Her engagement with Cambodia since 2011 culminated in a two-month residency at Sa Sa Project, Phnom Penh in 2017. During her time in Cambodia, Yu Ji immersed herself in the observation of people, food markets, and the unique cultural offerings. These experiences heightened her focus on the realistic meaning of fragments and the restoration of the past.
In her six-month residency in Cambodia in 2024, supported by M Art Foundation, Yu Ji initiated the PKA Project (PLAY KNOW ATTENTION), collaborating with Empowering Youth in Cambodia (EYC), and various talented artists to bring inspiring art workshops to children every Sunday. This initiative fostered creativity and storytelling in the community, leaving a lasting impact.
Yu Ji also delved into the study of Cambodian classical dance, drawing connections to Auguste Rodin’s historical sketches. This unique exploration will inspire her upcoming figurative sculpture series, “Flesh in Stone”.
This research and residency project is supported by the M Art Foundation.
Yu Ji (b. 1985, Shanghai, China) is known for a diverse practice that spans sculpture, installation, performance, video and most recently drawing. Much of her work is motivated by the investigation of the concept of place and the capacity for specific loci to be charged with both geographical and historical narratives. She frequently conducts field research, as part of which she has staged temporary interventions in different sites around the world, which reflect upon and interrogate the place
of the body within everyday environments. In 2008, she co-founded an art space – an artist-led space in Shanghai, promoting experimentation and exchanges between artists, curators and the public. Obtaining her MA from the Department of Sculpture at Shanghai University in 2011, Yu Ji was shortlisted for the Hugo Boss Prize Asia Art Award in 2017. Her international exhibitions include shows at the Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa (2023); CCA Berlin, Berlin (2023); Sadie Coles HQ, London (2022); Chisenhale Gallery, London (2021); West Bund Museum, Shanghai (2021); Edouard Malingue, Shanghai (2020); and Beijing Commune (2016). She has also participated in group exhibitions such as The Sigg Prize 2023 Exhibition at M+, Hong Kong (2023); 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane (2021); Fifth New Museum Triennial, New Museum, New York (2021); and the 58th Venice Biennale (2019). Yu Ji’s first artist book, “Wasted Mud,” was published in 2021 to accompany her solo exhibition at Chisenhale Gallery.
