Yichun Yao’s artistic practise is exhibited until February 25, 2026 in the group show Rose Jail[1] at Tache Gallery in London. Her work combines video art with popular Netflix episodic storytelling, presenting the work humorously through mockumentary and art comedy forms. Filled with imaginative ideas and a Woody Allen like sense of self-mockery toward new technologies, her work moved between cutting-edge app development and low-fidelity interactive performances that expose the “black box” of love algorithms. She used herself as an experimental medium, exploring contemporary society’s attempts to escape singlehood. Also recently, as a curator, she organised the online group exhibition Coded Feelings (thewrong.org/CodedFeelings), presented as one of the pavilions of The Wrong Biennale, the largest international biennale dedicated to digital and new media art. Through this exhibition, she explored how human emotions are changing in the context of AI and emerging technologies, the fragile boundaries between human emotion and machine intelligence, and the ways technology is reshaping our love and desire.
Portrait of Yichun Yao, generated by AI, courtesy of the artist
In Human Proved (2025), Yichun Yao placed an installation at the entrance of a gallery (LumiNoir Art Gallery, London), transforming herself into a funny reCAPTCHA test. She invited visitors to prove their humanity by recalling everyday details from their lives. In I, AI, (2023), an artificial intelligence character “confessed” and “reflected” on its existence as a human creation, revealing that it lacks a physical body and a true soul, and is unable to satisfy human desires and free will. This prompted humanity to reflect on its relationship with God, and also showed that as creators of new technologies, humanity has also created new beliefs and religions. In Memory Department Store (2023), she replaced street names on Google Maps Street View with her personal stories, placing private emotional narratives into a virtual public space. Also, in Have You Seen This Person? (2023), she posted AI-generated images of her perfect partner across various public locations in London, exploring questions of identity and authenticity in the digital age. What I find compelling in Yichun’s work is her ability to use simple artistic style to pose sharp questions about current technology, questions that touch complex topics, such as memory keeping, emotional alienation in technological contexts, AI ethics and techno religion.
Yichun Yao, “Artless and Chill-100% Match”, 2024, video, courtesy of the artist
Emanuela Zanon: You describe yourself as a “contemporary art comedian”, how do you use humour in your work?
Yichun Yao: I call myself a contemporary art comedian because I want to combine my artistic style with stand-up performance. I use narration as a central mode of art work, presenting imaginative ideas through language. In my video works, language is the main thread, while visual elements function as tools to make my ideas accessible. Because of this, I don’t restrict my work to any medium. Humour is part of my personal character. I like to use it to tease, and reflect on latest technological trends, or even to invent new products. I use humour to make art, and I use art as a way to invent.
Yichun Yao, “Have You Seen This Person?”, 2023, image, poster, courtesy of the artist
Your interactive performance “Human Proved” turns entry into a gallery into a social experiment, what inspired you?
I often think about questions of identity in the context of Artificial Intelligence, how to prove that I am not artificial intelligence, and how to prove that AI is not human. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, humans and AI begin to function as extensions of each another, and the boundary between them grows blurred. Human Proved was inspired by the reCAPTCHA verification system used when logging into websites, where users are presented with words or tasks that must be correctly identified in order to confirm their humanity.
Yichun Yao, “Human Proved”, 2025, performance, installation, interaction, courtesy of the artist
Your earliest works were primarily installation-based. Why has your recent practice shifted toward video, and what caused this change?
My work has always focused on human emotion and relationships. I began creating my earliest works during the COVID pandemic, a time when I heavily relied on digital devices and used various technologies every day to maintain emotional connections with my boy friend. These new technologies connected us, but also built an emotional barrier. From that period, I became increasingly fascinated by the emergence of new technologies and their impact on people’s emotions. I read a lot of news and articles on Wired Magazine, and gradually my primary medium shifted from installation to video. However, I haven’t abandoned installation or performance, instead, I integrate these forms into my video works.
Yichun Yao, “Human Proved”, 2025, performance, installation, interaction, courtesy of the artist
You made this first video for “Artless And Chill” series, what is going to be your next video?
In my next video, I want to explore issues of identity. AI has already gone beyond a technological revolution, it has become a new form of silicon-based life. I boldly put forward imaginative ideas about AI and identity, investigating how we distinguish humans from artificial intelligence, how AI robots might develop their own reCAPTCHA verification system that allows only AI to pass while blocking humans, and how AI influencers with specific flaws could be created to provide customized services for different brands. The new episode will incorporate art performance, AI-generated content, product design, social engagement, installation, and interactive elements.
Where do your ideas usually come from?
My ideas came from the details of my daily life as well as the latest technology news I browse online. I combine my own experiences, questions, and explorations into my work. I see myself more as a start-up founder or inventor, so my next steps will involve collaborating with technology companies to turn my ideas into practical solutions for real-world problems. My artistic work functions as a form for exploration and playful expression within this process.
Yichun Yao, “Memory Department Store”, 2023, video, courtesy of the artist
Which artists have influenced your work?
My inspirations came from creators across different fields. I’m particularly drawn to filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Nathan Fielder, whose work uses humour, awkwardness, and self-exposure to examine human vulnerability and mock society. Their ability to make audiences laugh while confronting discomfort has shaped how I think about humour as an art form. Anish Kapoor has been an important artist for me, especially in terms of how material, scale can generate psychological and emotional experiences. His work has influenced how I think about spatial presence and abstract forms. I’m also deeply inspired by writers such as Kevin Kelly and Yuval Noah Harari, they explore the long-term implications of technology and systems. Their perspectives have helped me situate my work in broader questions about how technology shapes our emotion, behaviour, and collective imagination.
[1] “Rose jail” is a term used by Hinge dating app users to describe the “Standouts” section, where profiles deemed highly desirable or top-tier matches are placed, requiring a “Rose” (paid or limited weekly) rather than a free like to interact with them. Users often feel stuck, as these profiles rarely appear in the main, free-swiping deck.
Info:
Graduated in art history at DAMS in Bologna, city where she continued to live and work, she specialized in Siena with Enrico Crispolti. Curious and attentive to the becoming of the contemporary, she believes in the power of art to make life more interesting and she loves to explore its latest trends through dialogue with artists, curators and gallery owners. She considers writing a form of reasoning and analysis that reconstructs the connection between the artist’s creative path and the surrounding context.
NO COMMENT