Yan Wen Chang
Gillian
04 Sep - 11 Oct 2025
Gillian is the second iteration of a presentation exploring the variability and complexity of the self. The convergent naming at play, Jillian vs. Gillian, foregrounds how divergent positions of being can coexist simultaneously – lending truth to the dialectics laced within identity, persona and memory.
The title references Yan’s birth-name, and what she referred to herself as in the earliest days of her immigration. This body of work frames her iconic lexicon of stars, roses, question marks, self-portraits and cars, through the lens of her ‘former self’, and her initial exposure to the desperations, brutalities, and ambitions of material and social success in Western culture.
The title references Yan’s birth-name, and what she referred to herself as in the earliest days of her immigration. This body of work frames her iconic lexicon of stars, roses, question marks, self-portraits and cars, through the lens of her ‘former self’, and her initial exposure to the desperations, brutalities, and ambitions of material and social success in Western culture.