Artist-in-residence Lilan Yang

Lilan Yang is the Gallery 263 summer 2023 artist in residence. Yang’s residency will culminate in a one-week solo showcase that will be on view to the public August 20–26, 2023.

What kind of work do you make?

My route to growing as an artist is quite circuitous, and my choice of medium has been evolving over the years. While I was studying computer engineering during undergrad at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, my work was purely digital — I was drawn in using data visualization and machine learning as storytelling tools. However, as time passed, my practice gradually shifted towards the physical realm.

It was during my first year at RISD that I was introduced to 16mm filmmaking with a Bolex camera. It became my additional eye to see, and the joy to observe through a viewfinder was unparalleled.

In my recent works, I have been making films. I not only shoot with 16mm Kodak film stock, but also fabricate my own film materials and make film installations.

What concepts does your art explore?

I explore the myth of cities and landscapes, ways of seeing and unseeing, and the sentiments of remembering and forgetting. My artistic research revolves around the physicality of film, as an artistic medium and a carrier of longing. I focus on how time becomes a reel that can be weighted and held onto, how sound is visible in forms and measurable in length, and how film as a material resembles human memories decaying over time.

What do you hope you accomplish during your residency?

I’m currently collaborating with the incredibly talented London-based musician and composer, Julian Tran. We are working together on the score for my master thesis film which I feel like I didn’t really complete it in the way I intended to be. “Everything Comes Full Circle” is an encapsulation of how I think and act during a certain period of time that I wasn’t the real me. As I grow, this work also ages alongside me. Only this time I feel ready to revisit this film and make it different.

What are your most used materials? Most unusual?

My primary medium is film, not only traditional celluloid film that captures lights and shadow through a delayed manifestation, but I also fabricate my own acetate film in 16mm and 35mm formats, with digital technologies.

What historical or contemporary artists inspire you?

To be honest, I feel like I can name a few filmmakers that have really changed the way I see the world that surrounds me. Wim Wenders is much an inspiration for me, especially through his work like Paris, Texas (1984), Wings of Desire (1987) and Until the End of the World (1991). His depictions of the immense deserts and the sprawling open roads has deeply influenced my film. The work of filmmakers like Chantal Akerman, Su Friedrich and Jonas Mekas have had a profound impact on my artistic approach at a personal level.

In terms of contemporary artists within my field, my mentor at RISD, Africanus Okokon, has really changed the way I see film and video as an art medium. Film could be something more than a traditional audiovisual experience with predetermined beginnings or ending, but in loops as a circular experience — transcends linear time and can be engaged with at any point. I see him as my role model who continually inspires me as an artist and an educator.

How do you hope to engage the local community this summer?

I would love to know more people in the area. During my time away, I actually have already met some filmmakers involved in the Boston experimental filmmaking scene, so I’m really excited to reestablish those connections and forge new relationships. Recently I joined AgX, an artist-run film lab and collective dedicated to moving images, and I aspire to bring this shared passion for analog filmmaking to a broader audience within the community.

​​At the end of summer residency, alongside my first-ever solo show, I’m also planning a 16mm screening event showcasing films I made in Boston, followed by a Q&A session. I will talk about my creative process and hopefully foster a sense of connection between my audience and the city of Boston.

After some time away, this residency will be a return to the area for you. What most excites you about being back in the Boston area?

It only occurred to me very recently that my time in Boston has really shaped my work to a degree I didn’t really notice earlier, and shaped me as a person too, no matter in a good or bad way.

I first moved to Boston in 2020 when I just started my artistic career. I don’t remember much what it was like last time since it was still mid-pandemic — I recall spending a lot of time in my apartment, walking my dog Ollie at Boston Common, and the commute — I lived in Boston but had to commute to Providence during my first year of grad school at RISD. I spent a lot of time stuck in traffic on I-93 and I-95, and I hated it so much. In a way I’m glad that I don’t have to do that anymore. Now I’m really excited to embark on this new journey, rediscovering the city, and calling it home once again.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m currently in a group show at Foxy Production, a contemporary art gallery in Lower Manhattan. If you happen to be in New York this summer, go check out my video work using machine learning.

Another film of mine, the Perfect Human inspired by Jørgen Leth, has been nominated at Image Forum Festival, the largest experimental film festival in Japan.

You can check out my other work at lilanyang.studio and feel free to follow me on Instagram @lilanyang.studio . I look forward to connecting with more art enthusiasts.