By Nick Christophers
From the East to the West Yalan Wen has brought her artistic style and rare vision on the art scene. Her style is a mix of physical materials and digital tools. But her focus when it comes to her artwork involves her love for nature and all it has to offer. For Yalan there is a magic that surrounds all parts of nature, and she taps into it for inspiration. The work that she does is a blend of creative programming, experimental music composition and moving images.
“I grew up surrounded by nature, and by observing it from a different angle, I found that nature includes infinite questions and answers. I love the pattern of the leaves, trees, clouds, the reflection of light, the movement of waves, etc. There’s something about it that makes me feel connected.”
Embarking on to New York she went on to attend the prestigious art college SVA and earned an MFA in Computer Arts. An example of her works is a video art piece titled “Cascade”. When it showcased it was displayed on a high-quality tv screen, so the color was rich and didn’t affect it by the surrounding light. On her journey she has graced many exhibitions and screenings in the Big Apple. The list is long but some that stand out are “Elements” at West Harlem Art Fund, New Filmmakers New York 2023, and online shows like the Making the Way SVA Gallery Juried Exhibition.
There is of course one that stood out for her which was the CADAF Art Fair at Web3 gallery. It offered her an optional look on the digital art world. She was offered the opportunity to showcase her work there via the curators Andrea Steuer and Elena Zavelev. In addition, she had held a residency at the Visual Muze during the summer of 2021. Her work has also been integrated into film festivals where her video projects were screened there. Festivals like Strangelove, Acorazado, and PUNTO y RAYA Festival, and have been shown at important venues such as SIGGRAPH Art Gallery, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Governors Island, GOXR and more.
Based on all her activity it is no shock that she would earn awards along the way. There were the MFA Computer Art Department Award at SVA, GYGABYTE Gold Medal Award, Kaohsiung Award 2022, and others. Currently, Yalan is planning to work on a large-scale installation that can really showcase her style. She has been busy sketching out ideas that the artwork would combine sound and visuals. To receive updates on her work and shows click the link below.
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