Yeni Mao, born in 1971 in Canada, is a Chinese American sculptor residing in Mexico City. He earned a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and honed his skills in foundry work in California and the architectural industries of New York. Mao's sculptures, primarily using steel, ceramic, and leather, explore fragmentation through assemblages and architectonic arrangements. His works, featured in international exhibitions, include solo shows like "Yerba Mala" in Mexico City, “An array of disruptions and codependencies” in London, and "I desire the strength of nine tigers" in New York. Mao's practice delves into issues of otherness, using materials as a means of conveying content and form. His sculptures are layered with references to subcultures, countercultures, and outsiders, reflecting on social, racial, sexual, or transnational identities. Mao, a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant 2021, emphasises negative space and absences in his art, linking the anatomy of the body to building systems and prompting a reconsideration of ourselves in relation to our surroundings.
Ahead of his forthcoming representation at Frieze LA, he chats with us from his base in Mexico City, about his work, his upbringing, and his influences.
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