Bio
Tan Yubing is an artist based in Chengdu, China. She graduated from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020 (MFA, majoring Fiber and Material Studies). She creates puppets, sculptures, videos, installations and fabric works. She believes in the power of softness and the meditative process of craft-making. In 2022, Yubing established The Pond gallery at 113 Jitai Road, Chengdu, China. She aims to create a safe space for young artists in China and empower the local community there. Yubing is an awardee of the Prince Claus Seed Awards 2022.
Email: bingbingtan126@gmail.com
Instagram: ant_tan
Statement
I create a parallel reality through puppets, textiles, sculpture, video, and animation. By inverting hierarchies of power—swapping the powerful with the powerless, amplifying marginalized voices, and applying dark humor—I use fiction to satirize rigid systems in reality.
My practice explores power dynamics related to labor, female power, alienation, and modernity. I’m especially influenced by the patriarchal family structure and the socialist factory system in Chinese culture. “Spontaneity” and “Folk life” are cures in my work.
My work is heavily concerned with materiality and tactility, all my works are handmade. My background in Fiber and Material Studies has shaped my view of craft as an embodied, non-hierarchical form of knowledge and skill; it is a form of spontaneous expression based on everyday materials. I work with dyeing, crocheting, sewing, sculpting and most recently - papier-mâché as a lighter and softer expression. Repetitive labor is central to my practice; it serves as a state of flow and as a way to condense small, fragmented actions into creative works.
I draw inspiration from folk art and aesthetics of “cuteness,” “absurdity,” and more recently, “horror.” Beyond visual art, I’m also passionate about socially engaged projects, aiming to connect with broader audiences.
Tan Yubing Works 2019-2022 download zine