Daily Inspiration: Meet Yujian Cui

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yujian Cui.

Hi Yujian, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a Chinese artist living and studying in China and the US. I’m a BFA4 Photo and Media student at California Institute of the Arts. I started picking up my first camera at high school, a typical Chinese public high school. I was using a small plastic point-and-shoot analog camera and documenting everything around me. That’s the beginning of my documentary photography. My first serious project is about my hometown, a small village in Shandong. The village was changing rapidly because of the development. The government started mining stones and at the same time, building roads and bridges. Everything was changing so fast and I felt there was nothing I could do to freeze my memory but document it with my camera. After three years document, I saw the importance of documentary photographs. People from the village changed, and the environment was changed. The village from my memory disappeared; I could only see part of it in my photos.

After I left China, I couldn’t get a chance to get back to my hometown again. At the same time, I felt the conflict between Eastern and Western cultures. The alienness and insecurity I felt made me homesick, just like many international students. We call this “思乡” in Chinese.

I try to think about how the first generation of Chinese Americans built their home. Why were they willing to farewell their hometown and their peaceful and stable life to get to another continent? I tried to follow their step and record the memories of all Chinese immigrants. I am also trying to redefine the meaning of “思乡” in this progress. What does “home” mean for me, am I just missing that place? Maybe “home” is just a fantasy land only in my memory (like my last project). Maybe what I really care about is just that warm, safe, and peaceful place.

So, I went to a few historical places in California. Trying to build a connection between myself and Chinese or even Asian immigrants. I went to some historical places in Sacramento and Los Angeles like Gold Discovery Historic Park, Pacific Railroad Museum, Locke Town, and Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles. I’m trying to make this history emerge, and also hear the echo from the history.

During the process, I realize how important this project is for me, and hopefully also for Asian American or international students like me. The project is still in progress.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s hard to explain to some people why making art or doing documentary photography is important to me. I believe there are still many people from my hometown who don’t understand why documenting this little town is meaningful. At the same time, doing art for students like me, a public high school student from Shandong is hard. Parents mostly don’t want their children to be artists. Asian parents prefer their children to have financially stable jobs in the future. Luckily, my parents supported me a lot, and I really appreciate that.

When I go through the archive of the history of Asian Americans, it’s hard to not be influenced by the history. For example, after I learned about the Chinese Massacre of 1871 in Los Angeles, and then stood in front of the Chinese American Museum on Los Angeles Street. The negative emotions flooded and filled my head. I have to deal with those negative emotions.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m trying to combine Eastern and Western cultures, using the Shanshui painting concept in my photographs. Recently, AI-generated photographs started making people question the authenticity of Photography (although people never stop questioning, AI-generated photographs make it worse); I started exploring and discussing the authenticity and essence of documentary photography. At the same time, my works are also discovering the space between texts and visual language, philosophizing about time and space, the conflict between social development and individual sentiment, Asian immigrant history in the US, and self-expression between different cultures.

“Between” is one of the most important keywords of my work.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Stayed and hung around alone in nature and felt the natural elements around me.

Contact Info:

• Website: rikkicui.com
• Instagram: @rikkicui