Cultural Systems
 
This work assembles fragments of animals, organs, and textures into a radial composition resembling a specimen or ritual object. The coexistence of multiple forms points to the fragmentation and reconstruction of body and identity within cultural systems.
 
Artist Bio
Yao Xinyu (姚昕宇) is a Chinese artist based in Melbourne, working across ink painting, installation, and conceptual art. Her practice explores the tension between Confucian moral systems and contemporary social identity, examining how inherited values—such as ren, yi, li, zhi, and xin—continue to shape psychological discipline and collective behaviour in East Asian societies. Using traditional materials like rice paper and calligraphy ink, Yao deconstructs Chinese characters into grotesque and fragmented forms, transforming moral language into a visual critique of order, conformity, and surveillance. Her works blend cultural heritage with critical reflection, revealing how personal emotion and social expectation intertwine within the structures of power and tradition.