ArtGuest Userjapanese, subculture, original, culture, japan, 3d, zaoeyo, canvas, visual arts, john yuyi, creative, face post, temporary tattoo

My [Digital] Body, My Canvas. John Yuyi.

ArtGuest Userjapanese, subculture, original, culture, japan, 3d, zaoeyo, canvas, visual arts, john yuyi, creative, face post, temporary tattoo
My [Digital] Body, My Canvas. John Yuyi.

Born in 1991, Taiwanese artist John Yuyi is a multi-faceted creative. As a photographer, model and visual artist that has gained traction for her usage of temporary tattoos which combine themes of digital identity and internet culture.

 
 

Her own experimentation with her now distinctive art had begun back in 2015 as a small personal project called "Face Post" featuring herself and a friend photographed with their photos temporarily tattooed onto their bodies and faces. "In the beginning, Face Post was just for fun. The concept was all about my daily life as an artwork installation. What if I put these social media posts on our faces and bodies and 'posted' them again? It's like a cycle, and I found that quite interesting."

 
 

It was thanks to this small project that cemented her artistic career and granted her a linked identity to a distinctive medium of artistic design. Despite the attention she has received, Yuyi prefers to maintain a very grounded view on her professional status. 

“You can be an artist one day and nobody the next month.” explaining to Plastik Magazine, “I always think that people calling me an artist is a temporary moment in my life… hence my “temporary” tattoo work. Everything moves too fast”

 
 

Yuyi’s own work juxtaposes intimacy and sensuality with digital iconography. A bold combination that strikes a chord with an entire generation of people yearning for connectivity within a super-connected digital world.  Fans of her work will know that her artwork isn’t just manifested through her photography but through herself. Her work also reveals a candid and open diary of her own emotions, loneliness, and mental health. This fearlessness of authenticity in her work showcases not just one of the most relevant artists of our time, but also a poignant digital performance artist.

 
 

Having had her work featured in Nylon, i-D, Vogue China, Time Magazine, and numerous solo exhibits around the world, Yuyi also became the first Taiwanese designer to work with Gucci in 2017.

Yuyi stresses she doesn’t have her eyes set on big names or big brands “I just want to have fun collaborations with people I admire.”