Untitled

John Yuyi (*1991, Taiwan) is known worldwide as an interdisciplinary voice of her generation in art, fashion, and social media. The millennial-speak depictions of the female body and her aptitude for collecting, wielding, and reflecting on social media influence are recurring in her practice. She uses temporary tattoos to generate visual manifestos, while the body becomes a performative screen to present them. In addition, Yuyi exploits the iconography of mass media by utilizing her own body to project the images upon, which also reflect the self and the economics of identity. In a series of ongoing investigations into the intersections between the physical and technological worlds, Yuyi explores our addiction to social media and the marks it leaves on our lives. The fact that attention has become the most important currency is also evident in the artist's collaboration with prestigious brands, whose logos she ‘tattoos’ on her skin before posting her self-portraits as advertisements on Instagram. In this way, the Taiwanese artist shows how the body has become a vehicle for media attention on social networks. At the same time, she demonstrates how our bodies are occupied by these very platforms. They influence how we present and perceive ourselves - and determine the value we give ourselves.