Lost and Found In Translation

Abstract

„Lost and found in translation‟ explores gaps in communication and mistranslations between languages and cultural identities. My art practice has evolved from traditional printmaking in Shanghai to installations and screenprints as a student in the U.S., to my doctoral work which draws from my research and my experiences and encounters in London. My research centres on three generations of Chinese artists who brought their own culture to bear on the experience of living and making work in the West. The first generation was led by Xu Beihong in the 1920s. The second generation was led by Xu Bing, Ai Weiwei and Tan Dun, who lived together in New York in the 1980s. The third generation, which includes myself, Yang Yuanyuan and Liu Yefu, were born in the 1990s and 2000s and studied abroad. This generation uses multiple media, including social media, in a globalized art world where their identity as „Chinese‟ artists is less central. My own artwork is located also in the context of contemporary artists who use text in their work, such as Jenny Holzer and Jens Haaning. When facing the clash of cultural and linguistic environments, my aim is to find a balance between inclusive and exclusive language systems. What seems to be „lost‟ in translation can be used creatively in art practice, through hybridized forms and often through humour, to „find‟ new meanings for myself, and hopefully for the audiences of my work.