Meet Yan Shao | New Media Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yan Shao and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My artist career didn’t start with a sense of determinacy, but grew out in my exploration of the world. I studied Geology in college and planned to become a scientist after graduation. Though I love the process of logic thinking and discovery, I found myself more drawn to the senses of connection through intuition, aesthetics, and perception between humans and the earth.

During my studies in the United States, I had the chance visiting the landscapes of the American West and the enchanting vistas of National Parks. I walked along the foggy beaches, stood amidst forests that reaching the sky, lay down on the moss floor, and smelled the sulfur produced by archaea, all that blurred the boundaries of what I learned from science and the sensations from my biological body. I began to reflect on knowledge from various approaches, indigenous culture, advanced civilization, science, and modern technology. How could I create an openness to the earth in a sensible, textured, and involved form of expression? Thus, I shift from a scientific background towards an artistic practice, creating sensory experiences that forge connections between humans, organisms, and the earth.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a new media artist and creative technologist living in New York. I create new media artworks, such as interactive websites, audiovisual projects, and sound installations, which explore the perceptual possibilities and mediate the complex interrelations between humans and the earth. The poetic encounters reflect my journey of understanding who we are in nature, illuminating a deep sense of connection with other organisms and the planet we dwell on. My inspirations often come from geology, natural transience, and ecological humanity.

Currently, I am a resident artist at Gallatin WetLab at New York University, my recent research focuses on photosynthesis, primarily occurring in plants, algae, and the most resilient species—cyanobacteria, from ocean to land, incessantly excretes oxygen into the atmosphere and recycles the basic elements for the metabolism of most animals and plants.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Check out the events hosted by livecodenyc and Wavefield, they are two community host cool live coding events and physical computing workshops.

I also recommend :iidrr gallery, a small gallery located in Lower Manhattan dedicated to new media art. There is also a great authentic Chinese restaurant nearby called “Congee Village”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I really appreciate my MFA education at the San Francisco Art Institute, a small liberal arts school located in San Francisco, California. It didn’t survive the pandemic, bankrupted due to insufficient support. However, the art education, community, and my peers were so great that offered me a lot confidence and stability to face the uncertainties in the ever-changing world.

I want to thank two professors who spent a lot time with me, supported me, and answer countless questions during my Odyssey Years, a period of discovering my identity and career path. As I transitioned from student life to adult life, they taught me to be a kind, keep my curiosity, and live in a sustainable life to explore the world and express with art.

Jeremy P.H. Morgan, a painter and educator, whose work interprets geological consciousness and blending of eastern and western culture in his abstract expression. I had a great time working with him, and learned how to blend the knowledge and sensibility expressed in painting.

Jeannene Przyblyski, an artist and art historian, guided me in my exploration on the concepts of site, space, and time, related to landscapes, geological conservation, and cultural heritage. Her insightful mentorship helped me understand the nuanced intersections across continents, leading my work to have a deeper sense of ecological and cultural diversity intertwined within place, space, and history.

Website: https://shaoyan.art/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ss.syan/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ss_syan/videos

Image Credits
Image credits to Keer Zhao