Taiwanese visual artist Yujun Ye (葉育君) will hold a solo exhibition from Nov. 7 through Dec. 12 to showcase her artistic journey upon completing a three-month residency at the prestigious 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica.
Yehas constructed her artistic identity upon the venture of "expanding the domain of art.” Having studied at Ecole Nationale Superieur d'Arts de Paris-Clergy and Paris 1 Sorbonne, her forte is founded upon a solid bed of spatial knowledge, sound construction, video installation, and contemporary dance.
The month-long "El Sueño de Los Angeles” exhibition in Santa Monica will showcase Ye's unique grasp of mixed media, in which she playfully combines video and light installations with hand-sprayed graffiti to re-interpret classic fairytales.
"El Sueño de Los Angeles,” meaning the "Los Angeles Dream” in Spanish, is both a play on the city's moniker as the City of Angels and homage to the fantastical dreamscape created by the human mind. More specifically, Ye transforms familiar fairytale characters by placing them within the confines of Los Angeles and drawing out their vulnerabilities.
Take, for example, Alice from Wonderland, who is Ye's favorite alter ego. The artist dons a pink wig and dream walks across the Californian landscape, where her pursuit of dreams is interjected by a fear of rejection and a calm sense of self-validation.
Ye is one of the two Taiwanese artists who served an 18th Street art residency with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles this year.
"El Sueño de Los Angeles”
Featuring Yujun Ye
Date: Nov. 7 - Dec. 12, 2014
Venue: 18th Street Arts Center
Address: 1639 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Website: 18thstreet.org/events/yujun-ye-exhibition