Bio

Lana Yuan (she/her) is a Chinese-born, Toronto-based artist. She specializes in still life sculpture, kinetic sculpture made from electronic waste, ready-made toys, construction waste, etc. Yuan graduated with distinction from University of Toronto's Studio Art Specialist program. She has exhibited her works at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Stackt Market Gallery Box, Center [3] Gallery, Ignite Gallery, and so on.

Yuan was the recipient of the Juror Prize for Shelley Peterson Student Art Exhibition (SPSAE) in 2019, awarded Equity and Diversity in the Arts (EDA) Student project grant in both 2018 and 2019, participated in the Artist Residency supported by SKETCH Working Arts ("SKETCH") and DesignTO: The Commons: Urban Space, Public Art call in 2020. As recently as 2022, she was announced as the 2022 recipient of the 401 Career Launcher Prize, which offers a full year's studio space at the 401 Richmond arts and culture hub.

Artist Statement

Only 7 Days illustrates one of my recent experiments with art and digital media. Using Chinese engraving techniques, I carved 150 Chinese characters on a discarded half-inch drywall in six months.

In addition, I collaborated with new media artist Iori Matsushima to transform the carved characters into a video art with a soundtrack.  The video was then uploaded on my social media platform and will be removed after seven days. Choosing Instagram as the social media platform to share this video was a conscious decision. I wanted to create a sense of urgency and temporariness for the audience, in order to emphasize the idea of "Only 7 Days." Additionally, Instagram is a visual platform that is perfect for sharing short videos like this one.

The Chinese character and onomatopoeia “哈”,  (translated to English as “lol”), an overused word on social media and communication apps, does not convey any actual meanings except imitating the sound of laughter. It has become a filler word that is frequently used in online conversations but hardly considered by users of its empty connotation. The painstaking labor of the carving forms a contrast against the “uselessness” of the word, taking this mundane expression out of its usual text to form new meanings.

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