Mirror mirror on the wall, show the most fashionable country of them all. The Metropolitan Museum of Art plans to do just that in spring 2015 where it will display China: Through the...
"Memory over reality" Crys Yin's reinvented childhood
Brushing eyes, combing toenails, flossing knees, and buying butts at the supermarket. Artist Crys Yin imagines these absurd situations in order to bring her childhood memories into the current issues and corporate woes affecting her adulthood.
After realizing her work in creative, but corporate, roles was unfulfilling, Crys decided to embrace her art, turning it into a full-time job. Her work consists of childhood-inspired elements and references to corporate society, and she explains these motivations saying that, “Recalling the themes of my childhood– sexual curiosity, shame, cultural oppression– has pushed me to explore the reoccurring topics of my adulthood– obsession and compulsion, the archaic definition of female and male roles, and the excitement of excess.” Using almost exclusively pale and soft tones, round shapes, and comical scenes, Crys’ work can be easily mistaken for an illustrated children’s book upon first glance, until a closer look reveals the profound depth of her paintings. Daily situations are twisted and reinterpreted to reveal personal moments, often tragic or awkward to the artist.
“I prefer referencing memory over reality,” Crys explains. Freeing herself from the truth and focusing on representations, Crys expresses herself through memories reimagined in her paintings and sculptures. The accuracy does not matter because it is not about reality. Rather, it is about introspective understanding, and it is about art.
In her most recent project, Crys creates still-life pieces from meaningful objects related to her Asian American culture. After her family immigrated from Taiwan to the United States in the early 70’s, Crys was born and raised in Southern California. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she tells the story of her cultural education, “swapping shadows causes uncertainty and repeating objects further demonstrates the cultural misconnections I experienced growing up.”
INSTAGRAM @crysyin
WRITTEN BY LOUISE GUILLOT
EDITED BY HOLLIS DE LANEY
PHOTO CREDIT: CRYS YIN
related posts
The Met Looks East: Chinese Heritage And Its Influence On Fashion
MEET KURATAS, YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GIANT MECH
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Jeez I’d really love to own a ’13 tall 4-ton mech with blast-proof armor and an interchangeable weapons system”? Well, your lucky day has arrived,...
Sequels That Never Saw the Screen
For those who wish their favorite movies had a follow-up, Los Angeles art gallery and production studio iam8bit has the answer. Presenting a series titled “Sequel,” the gallery will...
Art Basel Takes Miami
Art Basel heated up Miami this December for its annual showcase of contemporary and modern art. Held every year, Art Basel sets up in three locations: Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Miami...
Small Data, Large Impact: Daniel Canogar Presents Discarded Electronics
Earlier this year, New York gallery bitforms presented Daniel Canogar’s Small Data. Composed of “nine video projection-mapped objects that are intimate in scale,” Canogar explored...
Jeff Koons Presents Hulk Elvis at Gagosian Gallery
Jeff Koons presents his first solo exhibition in Asia, Hulk Elvis, at the Gagosian Gallery. Hulk Elvis is an ongoing series for Koons and at the Gagosian Gallery, multiple bronze Hulk...
Look Again with Sebastian Errazuriz
At the Carnegie Museum of Art, Sebastian Errazuriz’s first solo exhibit heeds the following warning: Look Again.
EASTERNSPORTS; A” FOUR-CHANNEL, MULTILINGUAL SOAP OPERA”
The ICA Philadelphia has truly unique piece on display titled Easternsports: a “four-channel, multilingual soap opera.” For the stars of the video installation and first time...
KILLER HEELS: THE ART OF THE HIGH-HEELED SHOES
If the shoe fits, showcase it. That’s the motto the Brooklyn Museum is following as it transformed a portion of its gallery into a shoe closet to “explore fashion’s most provocative...
BREAKING DOWN THE SUBJECT - HANNAH VANDERMOLEN
Fashion and art combine for model/artist Hannah Vandermolen. The striking model is more than just a subject in other people’s works of art, she makes her own as well.
KARSH GOES HOLLYWOOD: REVISITING HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE
Old Hollywood is new again at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Titled Karsh Goes Hollywood, the MFA’s latest exhibit pulls stills from legendary celebrity photographer Yousuf Karsh to...
THE LOUIS VUITTON FOUNDATION OPENS
After 13 years in the making, another must-see sight has opened in Paris, the Louis Vuitton Foundation. Already privately attended by Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Wintour, French President...
PETER LINDBERGH "PARIS PROJECT SPACE" EXHIBITION IN PARIS
PETER LINDBERGH is going to present his first solo photographs exhibition in Paris in more than a decade which is in association with Gagosian Gallery on September of this year.
HEDI SLIMANE “SONIC” OPENING -"Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent"
Counting down the days until Paris Fashion Week starts; it is arguably the biggest week for all fashionistas includes fashion editors, buyers, bloggers and photographers from all around the world...
"DAVID BOWIE IS"EXHIBITION @MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CHICAGO
“David Bowie Is” exhibition is coming to The Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago on September of this year.
HEDI SLIMANE EXHIBITION "Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent"
“SONIC” is an exhibition of photographs by HEDI SLIMANE, the creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, which will be held at the Foundation Pierre Bergé -Yves Saint Laurent in September 2014.
DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS BRUCE WEBER EXHIBITION
Since its beginnings in 1885, the Detroit Institute of Arts has grown to encompass multiple mediums of art, including American, European, Modern and Contemporary, and Graphic Art.
MOMA TO PRESENT EXHIBITION OF RENOWNED ARTIST BJöRK
The Museum of Modern Art just announced that it will be doing a full retrospective exhibition of the artist Björk’s work in 2015.
DANIEL OGLANDER'S STORY BY LAURA KAMPMAN
He kept on apologizing when I was on my way to come see his apartment for the first time. 'I'm sorry. My room is such a mess don't look at it, okay?'.
MACIEJ MARKOWICZ-WHEN SKIES BECOME GROUNDS
On display in Brooklyn’s BUSHWICS Studio, “When Skies Become Grounds” offers negative prints of iconic landscapes.
MARIA LASSNIG AT PS1
Austrian artist MARIA LASSNIG exhibition at MoMA's PS1 has been attracting herds of people as she focuses her art around "body-awareness." Known for being the first to employ this theory, it...
THE MARK HOTEL
The corner of Madison Avenue and 77th Street is the home to the MARK HOTEL: one of New York’s most prestigious hotels, housed in a beautiful 1927 landmark buildings on the Upper East Side.
ETTORE SOTTSASS EXHIBITION AT THE AZZEDINE ALAÏA GALLERY
Last Thursday, May 14th, legendary Tunisian fashion designer AZZEDINE ALAÏA hosted an event at his art gallery celebrating Italian architect and designer ETTORE SOTTSASS' (1917-2007) comprehensive...
Queen Of The Night Casts Its Spell
At Queen of the Night, inhibitions drown in sudden dalliances. Upon entering the Diamond Horseshoe, a spell is cast as you descend the staircase.
Twelv Things We Learned at Super Bowl XLVIII
1. When you look good, you play good. The Seattle Seahawks dominated Super Bowl XLVIII in a lopsided 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos.
SUPER BOWL KICKOFF WITH WTRMLN WTR
Super Bowl weekend has arrived and TWELV Magazine is collaborating with WTRMLN WTR for their pop-up store Saturday evening, February 1, from 7:00p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
ART BASEL DIARY #4
TWELV knew we couldn’t leave Art Basel without exploring the up-and-coming area of Wynwood, Miami.
ART BASEL DIARY #3
For our third day at Art Basel, we figured it was time to visit Miami’s Convention Center where the majority of galleries were represented.
ART BASEL DIARY #2
On TWELV’s second day at Art Basel, we brunched at The Webster Hotel for Oliver People’s presentation of Dennis Hopper’s iconic photographs.
ART BASEL DIARY #1
Art Basel has been taking over Miami Beach since 2002 with its extravagant exhibitions and events, making it a go-to destination for art and culture lovers everywhere.
2013 Metropolitan Museum of Art Apollo Circle Benefit
Last Thursday night, the bright young things of New York City ascended the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 10th annual Apollo Circle Fund for Art Conservation Benefit.
Parnell Jones is Ninja
Here is a story of transformation, of a man born and bred in Harlem, who spent nights sleeping on park benches, who lost best friends through brutal violence but still persevered to become an...
W NEW YORK PRESENTS ARTIST DESI SANTIAGO’S ‘CASINO DIABOLIQUE’
W New York hosts a unique VIP pop-up casino experience from November 15-17 in collaboration with acclaimed visual artist Desi Santiago.
Open Versus Closed
Born in Saudi Arabia, educated in the United Kingdom, and now residing and working in New York City, 25 year old artist Abdullah Qandeel has burst onto the Manhattan art scene with his...
LET'S BID AGAINST HUNGER
Last week, City Harvest held its annual "Bid Against Hunger" event at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.
CARTER SMITH MASTERING SHIBORI ZEN
“The innate energy to create - call it Zen”, Carter Smith explains as he folds up one of his large wall-size silk pieces dyed in black, a rich shade of olive, and every tone in between.