Yu's current painting practice is rooted in personal memory and emotional residue. Her work navigates the layered tension between intimacy and dislocation, belonging and estrangement—especially within the unspoken hierarchy in different cultural contexts.
Themes of cultural dislocation and the fragile connection between human civilisation and nature form the backbone of her work. Yu's work departs from traditional subject matter, embracing gestural brushstrokes and the allure of uncertainty. The process of layering brings forth new subjects—misplaced colour patches and reassembled figures, objects, and landscapes that depart from conventional scales. This new realm of landscape creates a space where reality and imagination coexist.
Yu holds a bachelor of arts degree (art history) from The University of Sydney, she currently lives and works in Shanghai, China.
Self Portrait, 2018, oil on canvas, 40.5 x 30.5 cm