Interview with Yu Kuei
Q. Welcome to u1 gallery. We are so grateful to be able to interview you. We can never thank you enough. Could you introduce yourself and your works? How did you begin creating art?
A. My name is Yu KUEI. Originally from Taiwan, I majored in Food Science and obtained a Masters in Life Science prior to changing careers to pastry. As a pastry chef and chocolatier, I’ve lived in France, Brazil and Macau, and am currently moving back to my hometown to focus more on creating art and finding a connection between chocolate and painting.
I first started to paint in 2021 as an emotional outlet and it very quickly became essential in my life, bringing me a sense of calmness and bolstering my spirit. To me, chocolate is an alternate expression of art, and I am so grateful to have found another path for self-expression. Being a 41-year-old adult that’s lived most of her creative life across various continents, I continue to explore this new field and its vast possibilities to discover the new me in different ways.
Q. Could you describe one artwork or series from your oeuvre that you feel it was pivotal in your career?
A. The work “I am LOVE” is most representative of my journey in self-growth and self-cognition. I want this alongside my art creating journey to be a reminder to all on how to maintain a pure and curious outlook on life.
Q. Could you talk about the process of creating and the way of expressing your work?
A. Most of the time, I let the materials and colors connect and guide me during the process. But it is an iterative process of repetition and exploration to create something that resonates and helps me attain inner peace and joy.
Q. Are there any artists or works that have influenced you?
A. I realized that I am more intuitive and spontaneous while painting, all kinds of artists’ works influence me. If I had to pick, I would mention Chu Teh-Chun, Karl Otto Gotz.
Q. Where do you get the inspiration for your work?
A. Anything in my daily life could be my inspiration but mostly it comes from personal sentiment. Sometimes it comes after a long talk with someone, sometimes it just comes from a song. It also can come from any image or thought which I then capture in the moment, internalizing them into emotions and translating them into a physical form on canvas/paper.
Q. What do you hope that the audience takes away from your art?
A. Doing abstract art is a very subjective way of self-expression, and it represents how I perceive the energy around me in its rawest form. The way my paintings resonate with the audience may not be the same as how I felt during my process, but what it really matters to me is to make the audience feel and appreciate the not so crucial moments in their lives and to be able to recognize and communicate how they feel with themselves.
Q. What is your dream project? Could you tell us your plans and aspirations as an artist?
A.My dream is to take part in physical exhibitions in various places and to share my experience with art and how it could really kindle the spirit from the deepest darkest depths, ignite the way to self-healing, and allow for self-expression instead of and oftentimes more than words.
