Shenglan Yang
N/A
Class of: 2028
Major: Fine Arts BFA
Medium: Watercolor, photography, stop- motion animation
Faculty: Beau Bree Rhee
Prompt: The assignment asks us to create a self-portrait using at least three different media, including at least one time-based element, such as video, sound, or performance. We are encouraged to explore both the physical and emotional aspects of ourselves. The project invites us to reflect on our evolving identity and how it is shaped by our experiences, relationships, and the way others perceive us.
This self-portrait project consists of three parts—watercolor, photography, and stop-motion animation— that come together to express different sides of who I am. Each medium shows a different way of looking at myself, from personal, internal experiences to the outward way I present myself to others.
For the watercolor series, I focus on my hands as a way to reflect my emotions. The marks on my palms are from clenching my fists tightly due to anxiety, and I use this as a way to show how my body physically carries the weight of my emotions. The hand is a very physical part of my body, yet it holds so much of what I feel inside, both from my own inner state and the outside influences around me.
In the photography series, I explore how I present myself to the world, using hangers and my everyday clothes. I photographed my black coats, which I wear often in social situations. Even though the clothes on the hangers change, the black color stays the same, reflecting how I seek a sense of security and calm in social settings. This series is about how I see myself from the outside, how I present myself to others.
The stop-motion animation combines both of these parts to bring them together. I want to show how both my inner world and the version of me that I show to others are connected. The animation captures how these different sides of me exist together and shift over time.