Tianyu Wang

b. 1997 China

Based in Renens (Switzerland) and Paris (France)

‘My work primarily stems from personal experiences with religious rituals and bodily perception. After leaving my home country, I gradually distanced myself from the mindset shaped by a specific cultural framework and began to reinterpret my cultural background in a broader and more critical way. I also became increasingly interested in how individual consciousness is shaped by social structures. 

In Hiding and Seeking, I hope to draw attention to the forms of violence that exist within everyday family environments – especially those rooted in discipline, difficult to define and invisible. These forms of violence are often normalised, overlooked or even justified, yet they profoundly shape an individual’s bodily perception, emotional experience and sense of self. I want my work to evoke a sense of unease and displacement within familiar daily scenes, prompting viewers to reexamine the underlying power structures that remain hidden. 

I attempt to disrupt and dissolve the inherent properties and functions of things from both visual and narrative perspectives, using the mundane to confront the mundane, creating a sense of estrangement and ‘gaps’ within the familiar world, leading the viewer into an uncertain perceptual experience.’ 

tianyuwang625.cargo.site
instagram.com/vtpeswan625

Images:

1-Tianyu Wang, Spider, 2024, from the series Hiding and Seeking © ECAL / Tianyu Wang 

2-Tianyu Wang, Chair Party, 2024, from the series Hiding and Seeking © ECAL / Tianyu Wang 

3-Tianyu Wang, Fourth Layers of Nail Impression, 2024, from the series Hiding and Seeking © ECAL / Tianyu Wang 

4-Tianyu Wang, Three Hands, 2024, from the series Hiding and Seeking © ECAL / Tianyu Wang 

5-Tianyu Wang, The Moment of Reaction, The Cake Was Smashed, 2024, from the series Hiding and Seeking © ECAL / Tianyu Wang 

Bringing together 66 artists from across the world, Photo Elysée celebrates emerging talent with the touring exhibition Gen Z: Shaping a New Gaze, currently on display at Fotografie Forum Frankfurt, Germany, until 30 August 2026. As media partner, 1000 Words is featuring the work and accompanying texts of all participating artists in our weekly column dedicated to new voices in contemporary photography.