Born 1985, Shanghai, China
Lives and works in Shanghai

In her textured evocations of the fragility of the human form, Yu Ji seeks to unravel the dynamic relationship between bodies and the spaces they move through and inhabit. Her works range from configurations of intriguing sculptural objects to physically challenging performances undertaken in natural environments. Yu Ji places particular emphasis on the variance of surfaces; recurring motifs include cascading arrangements of wax, refigured building materials scavenged from demolition sites, and fragmentary, ambiguously gendered torsos cast from concrete.

Her group of sculptural works for APT10 are composed of various elements to create a kind of portrait, with reference to domestic routines — particularly mealtimes, cleaning and rest. In part, these derive from the intensified experience of home life mandated by global lockdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Acknowledging the hard-won rights to participate in the public sphere that women have attained over the last century — rights that remain incomplete — Yu Ji asks how the division of gender can be overcome completely.

_{Supported by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations.}