"The past is more unpredictable than the future." The truth in this Russian saying is that our memories often don't reliably reflect our past experiences. Instead of a precise record, our minds continually reconstruct our personal histories, blurring the lines between what actually happened and how we feel about it now. It's why a cherished moment can, over time, feel both more vivid and less accurate.
This idea explains that nostalgia isn't just a simple longing for a time gone by. It's a constant moulding of our personal histories. We are all storytellers of our own lives, piecing together fragments of what we've lived to make sense of who we are today. For many, this process of re-collecting and rebuilding the past is important to their sense of self.
While this internal process is universal, different cultures approach the past in unique ways. In Mexico, the celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honour and remember ancestors. Families welcome the spirits of their loved ones back for a brief reunion. This is done by creating beautiful displays decorated with bright marigold flowers and candles, and by leaving out favourite foods and objects, which is a way to keep the connection to family history alive.
Similarly, in Chinese culture, this connection often takes the form of a continuous thread of shared narratives, tying the present to the lineage of family and ancestors. The past is seen not just as a time gone by, but as a living part of the present, with family stories and shared experiences stretching through time. Ancestors are honoured by recalling their struggles and strength, a practice that recognizes their lasting impact on future generations.
This connection to family history is a profound theme that many artists explore in their work. Yulin Yuan’s art specifically uses personal memories and family archives to examine how these powerful narratives are carried through time. Her work helps to challenge stereotypes and develop a sense of inclusion, which supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Reduced Inequalities.
This brings us to our conversation with Yulin Yuan. Her art is a beautiful mosaic of her life, pieced together from personal memories, family history, and cultural identity. As a visual artist who grew up between China and South Africa, Yulin uses collages, videos, and photographs to explore what it means to carry your history with you. We are pleased to welcome her to Arts Help to discuss her inspiring artwork.
1- How did growing up in two different cultures influence your perspective on the world?
Growing up between China and South Africa taught me that you don't have to choose one way of being. I learned very early on that there's rarely a single, simple truth. Your identity can be fluid, shaped by where you are, who you're with, and the journey you've taken. This perspective is the bedrock of my art. I'm constantly exploring those in-between spaces: the feeling of belonging somewhere and nowhere at the same time, the idea of displacement, and the beauty of building a hybrid identity from the pieces of different worlds.
2- Were you always interested in art? When did you know you wanted to be a professional artist?
I’ve always been the kid who tells stories through pictures. For years, I was focused on the technical side of things, learning to draw, and understanding composition. But the real shift happened in my last years of high school and during my undergrad studies in South Africa. It was like a lightbulb went on. I realized art wasn't just about making something beautiful; it was a powerful way to ask questions, to dig into history, and to connect with the world around me. That’s when it went from being a passion to a calling.
3- How did your art education in South Africa and the US shape your style?
My education in South Africa gave me this incredible grounding in art that grapples with big social questions; how to use it to talk about history, identity, and collective memory. Then, when I went to the US, it was like I was given a whole new toolkit. I was pushed to experiment more, to mix collage with photography and video, and to get much more personal and vulnerable in my work. My whole creative journey has been about asking questions, and I feel like studying in both places helped me find a language to answer them in a way that resonates with people who might be asking those same questions themselves.
4- What is the role of memory and nostalgia in your art?
Memory is everything in my work. It’s my primary material. I'm constantly digging through old family photos and personal archives, trying to piece together moments that feel just out of reach. What I find fascinating is that memory isn't static; it's alive. A memory I work with today feels different from it did a year ago. There's something really exciting about working with a material that is so intimate but also constantly shifting. For me, nostalgia isn't about wishing to go back to the past. It's more of an active question: How do we carry our histories with us? And how do our memories, even the broken or incomplete ones, make us who we are today?
5- What do you enjoy most about creating collages?
I love that collage gives me permission to smash things together that don't "belong." You can take two completely contradictory images and create a surprising new story. There's a very tactile, hands-on feeling to cutting and rearranging pieces that I really enjoy. In a way, it perfectly mirrors the immigrant experience, this constant act of piecing together a new life from fragments of different cultures and places. It’s about being shattered into pieces but still having the power to gather yourself and create something whole and new.
6- How do you collect the images and materials you use in your work?
It’s a bit of a treasure hunt. I pull from everywhere: old family photo albums, things I find at markets, digital archives, and even photos I take myself of spaces or objects that spark something in me. In this series, all my materials have owners; I borrowed others’ objects for that short moment to create these temporary collages. The act of collecting is almost as important as the act of creating.
7- What challenges do you face when you're making a new piece?
I'm constantly wrestling with that balance. How do you make a piece that’s rooted in your own specific history feel resonant for someone else? I've learned that I can't find the answer to that question in isolation. That's why community has become a vital part of my practice. Sharing the work as it develops and listening to others' responses is how I build that bridge. Their perspective is the final ingredient that helps a piece move beyond my own experience and truly connect.
8- Your work aligns with the UN's SDG of Reduced Inequalities. Can you explain how your art helps to achieve this goal?
My work connects to this goal by focusing on the stories of immigrants, stories that are often simplified or overlooked. I try to create a more nuanced picture of what it’s like to live between cultures by blending elements of Chinese mythology with everyday domestic scenes. Art can build empathy. I hope to challenge stereotypes and highlight the universal human need to belong by showing the specific challenges and the rich inner lives of people navigating hybrid identities, hopefully developing a greater sense of inclusion and understanding.
9- Where do you find your greatest inspiration these days?
Honestly, I’ve been traveling a bit, and besides the museums and galleries, my greatest inspiration is from simply walking through different neighborhoods in the city. I’m completely fascinated by the way cultures don't just coexist but actively mix and create something entirely new on a single city block. Every texture, every sound, every overlapping poster is a fragment of a larger story. It's all material in my eyes.
10- Is there a dream project you hope to work on one day?
My dream project would be to create a huge, immersive installation. I imagine a space people could walk through that combines visual elements, sound, and maybe even scent. It would feel like stepping into someone else’s memory, a world built from fragments of the past and mythological dreams. I want to create a space where an audience could physically feel the beauty and disorientation of what it’s like to move between worlds.
Our memories aren't just a record of the past; they are a way we make sense of our lives. This active process of re-collecting our personal stories helps us understand ourselves as complex individuals with histories that are constantly evolving.
This process is a lot like creating a collage, taking fragments from different places and putting them together to form a new and whole story. As Yulin Yuan's art shows, this is a creation that mirrors the immigrant experience of piecing together a new life from different cultures and experiences.
When we explore our personal histories, we give a voice to forgotten stories and are reminded of the shared human experiences that connect us all. This helps us look beyond simple labels and build a world where everyone feels they truly belong.