Yao Cong

Yao Cong explores the intricate dynamics of emotions, gender, and sexuality. He presents the complexities involved in the development of identity politics as a journey from turmoil to serenity, from disorder to harmony.

Engaging with a wide range of mediums, including moving image, photography, performance, and installation, Yao Cong aims to address the contemporary processes of constructing and deconstructing the body and the landscape. Additionally, he explores how collective influences can shape an individual's emotions and morality. Within the framework of the Anthropocene, Yao Cong's practice evolves into a new fluid, hybrid structure, shedding light on the uncertainties surrounding desire, anxiety, and power.

Biography of Yao Cong

Yao Cong was born in Xi’an, China, in 1992. He completed his studies in Intermedia Art at the China Academy of Art in 2014 and earned his master's degree from the Royal College of Art in 2017.

Yao Cong's works have been widely exhibited globally. His solo exhibitions include "A Mountain of Closeness" at Tunnel Project in Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art, Nanjing (2023), "Flies beyond the Clouds" at Capsule Shanghai, Shanghai (2021), "Exhibition on the Table_Yao Cong: videos compilation" at Arthub, Shanghai (2018), and "Pleasure in Progress" at the Espronceda Art Centre in Barcelona (2016).

Yao Cong has also taken part in various group exhibitions and festivals, including the Jimei X Arles International Photo Festival, Chengdu International Photo Festival, HOLOGRAPHIA-International Intermedia Art Festival, VIDEONALE.16, 8th International Contemporary Art Fair ARTVILNIUS, and many others.

The artist has received accolades such as the Gold Award for Champion Team in the First Greater China Film and Television Design Competition (2013), the Luo Zhongli Scholarship (2014), the Gold Award for the Degree Show at the China Academy of Art (2014), and the Lin Fengmian Scholarship at the China Academy of Art (2014).

Cong's artworks are part of collections at institutions such as the Royal College of Art in the UK, the China Academy of Art in China, Li Xianting's Film Fund in China, and the Espronceda Center for Art & Culture in Spain.