Jiayi Young

 

    I found Jiayi Young’s exhibition this time around to be in need of some improvements and the talk that she held for the work was a bit too explanatory. I would have preferred that she give her own thoughts and feelings about the exhibition as a whole and the work that she did generally. The video installation that had to do with the blood bags and electricity on the wall near it was the coolest part for me. I imagine that the project was much better of an experience within the sphere of the installation shown on video. A dark room with the lit up fluid in the bag along with clicking and some lights; seems like a more immersive experience. By no means do I think the art Young works on is unimpressive. It was only the presentation of said art that I had a hard time with. 

    When it comes to the concepts she was getting across, I felt that the 2016 election stuff needed to be explained with the artist statement which is never a bad thing. I like looking at art before I read the artist statement and whatever it adds after reading is usually cool. I’m glad to get both experiences. The exhibition made me recall things along the lines of alien hospital or cyborg kind of stuff. Those blood bags could be attached to something that needs, or is giving away, green fluid. Perhaps Young meant for it to make the viewer feel uneasy. The concept of internet bots shifting the results of an election is verging more on a dystopia than we might initially recognize. 

    I really like the aspect of Young’s talk that dealt with the process as opposed to the final product. Someone asked the question, “what percentage of importance would you put on both process and final product.” Young struggled to answer and I think it’s because you can’t just sever the two from each other. They both morph to make the same experience. I like Young’s sentiment about emphasizing the importance of process without condemning the final product and I like her attempt at refusing to answer the question. 

    In my perception, artist like Young who make installations and give the viewer a work that steers away from hard realism, are defined in the art world by their process. I mean to say this: When you make work that isn’t supposed to be a direct replication or representation of something, the labor and experience is embedded in the process as opposed to the final product. To me, this is the difference between a well-established abstract artist and a child’s work.  I know Jiayi Young is going to do great things in the future.