The solo exhibition presents three distinct yet interconnected series that collectively form the artist's holistic meditation on contemporary life.
In addition to the Long Story series, the Nights in the Suburbs series focuses on the nocturnal rhythms of residents in a "bedroom city", where they would only come to sleep after daytimes filled by long commutes. An unremarkable riverside path, transformed by the absence of public spaces, unexpectedly becomes a community hub, where dog-walking, exercise and idle chatter intertwine to stage a slice of urban China's authentic script.
The Living is the Suburbs section documents Yan's observations since relocating to Guangzhou's Zengcheng suburb in 2021. This liminal space, caught between the city and the countryside, bears the rough-hewn, ever-shifting marks of policy changes and temporal flux.
Lai Fei, editor of ArtReview's Chinese edition, says Yan's works have a way of prompting people to contemplate who they are and where they come from in relation to others in society.
Lai recalls how she was struck upon seeing Yan's work on the social media platform, Xiaohongshu.
