Yongqi Tang
“For as long as I can remember, I have lived under the combined influence of both Western and Chinese cultures—two worlds that are different, sometimes contradictory, yet somehow interwoven.”
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I am a painter and educator based in Seattle, Washington. I grew up in China, but have moved to the US since I was 18, 2025 marks the 10th year of me being in the US. I am often interested in the subject of identity, psyche and the meaning behind a simple story or emotion in my paintings. My cross-cultural background also prompts me to explore themes of marginalized experience, such as femininity and the diaspora, examining how the construction of narratives shapes cognition and challenges the stability of self-image in both private and public spaces. My practices involve mostly oil paintings and charcoal drawings.
Your paintings blend influences from both European and Chinese classical traditions with a cinematic quality that pulls the viewer into the scene. How do you navigate these different visual languages, and what draws you to this layered approach in storytelling?
I have always been drawn to the potential of figurative painting as a vehicle for storytelling, given its profound impact on the human mind. Growing up, I remember how images from illustrations and animations became archetypes and symbols that shaped my understanding of the world.
For as long as I can remember, I have lived under the combined influence of both Western and Chinese cultures—two worlds that are different, sometimes contradictory, yet somehow interwoven. My work is a manifestation of myself—an index of my physical presence and a projection of my memory—so this blended cultural influence naturally finds its way into my paintings.
Eros Thanatos, Love is Stream, 2024, Daniele Molajoli Photography
Opening the Venus, 2024
Many of your works capture moments of tension or transition, where figures appear caught between action and reflection. How do you think these compositions speak to themes of identity, migration, and self-perception?
The figures in my paintings are metamorphic, shifting, and constantly evolving as I am thinking about human way of existing in the world, drawing from Heidegger’s concept of “Dasein”. This concept refers to a way of being that is actively involved in the world through relationships, activities, and meanings, embodying the ever-changing nature of the self. In addition, I also want to capture the fragmentation of the self and its inherent theatrical nature, reflecting the ways that identity is performed, constructed and fractured over time.
Your practice explores how external surroundings shape self-image, both in private and public spaces. Have your experiences moving between China and America influenced the way you portray personal identity in your work?
The ever-evolving nature of the self has been a central focus of my work, influenced in part by the sense of displacement that comes with living for many years in a foreign country. I once read that “a foreigner is someone who only appears to disappear”, this lack of foundation and belonging was for once depressing, but I have changed my mind and now it becomes a source of transformation to me. Not completely belonging to any identity means that I have more freedom, and more connections to the outer world since I have different viewpoints. It’s not that I am untrue to myself; rather, I have come to understand that the performance of identity is, perhaps, its truest form.
Eros Thanatos Charcoal Drawings Install Shot, 2024, Daniele Molajoli Photography
Strange Tales, The Painted Wall, 2023, Mario Gallucci Photography
Eros Thanatos, The Birth of Eros, 2024, Daniele Molajoli Photography
Tell us a bit about how you spend your day / studio routine? What is your studio like?
I spend most of my days working, rotating between teaching, studio work, and research. When I choose to focus on one of these, I fully dedicate my time to it for the day. It helps refresh my mind and reduce autopiloting. My studio is at an old brick building, high-ceiling and filled with large-scale canvases and paper, a variety of painting and drawing materials, it’s a big mess, very chaotic and dusty, but I see it as a representation of my headspace.
What artwork have you seen recently that has resonated with you?
Willian Kentridge’s documentary “Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot”.
Is there anything new and exciting in the pipeline you would like to tell us about?
Yes! I am working on my next solo show which would open in Hong Kong. This is my first solo in Asia, I am looking forward to it because of my connection with the city- I grew up in Shenzhen, which is 30 mins drive away from HK and I often traveled to Hong Kong to see my chiropractor. Hong Kong is a magical city for a mainlander like me; crossing the border, everything would shift, including the language, the signals and the atmosphere- It is a threshold to instantly become a foreigner.
All images courtesy of the artist
Interview publish date: 10/03/2025
Interview by Richard Starbuck
