Luka Yuanyuan Yang (b. 1989, Beijing) is a visual artist and filmmaker who weaves documentary and archival materials into diverse mediums like film, photography, artist books, installations, and performances, often exploring themes of identity, migration, and memory. Her creative process typically begins with extensive research, but it often takes a turn when she becomes captivated by particular individuals, from a deceased Japanese writer born in colonized Dalian to burlesque dancers in San Francisco’s Chinatown. This affection guides her on a journey between the past and present, during which most of her works take shape. By crafting narratives where fact and fiction coexist, Yang aims to challenge conventional historical interpretations and amplify the voices of forgotten, silenced, or misinterpreted subjects.
As a filmmaker, her work has been featured in The New Yorker, as well as the New Orleans Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, Asian American International Film Festival, and Women Make Waves. Her first feature film “Chinatown Cha-Cha”(currently in post-production) has received support from The Gotham, Doc Edge, Pingyao International Film Festival, Beijing International Film Festival, CNEX, Shanyi International Women's Film Festival, and Aranya Waves Film Festival.
As a visual artist, her work has been exhibited at Centre for Heritage Arts & Textile, Hong Kong; Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai; Power Station of Art, Shanghai; Times Art Museum & Times Arts Center Berlin; Chinese American Arts Council, New York City; Art in General, New York City; Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo, Uruguay; M WOODS, Beijing; Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Beijing; G Museum of Art, Nanjing; Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing; OCAT, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen; AIKE, Shanghai; and Modern Art Base, Shanghai, among others.
Luka's artwork was collected by KADIST Foundation. She has received support from institutions such as Asian Cultural Council and Asymmetry Art Foundation. She has also earned numerous international accolades, including BVLGARI Avrora Award (2023); Art Power 100 (2019); Huayu Youth Award (2016); Rencontres d’Arles The Arthor Book Award (2015); Magenta Foundation (2013); and the Three Shadows Tierney Fellowship (2012).