Will Fenstermaker
Essay • Alexander Berggruen • 2025

Scenes from the Emperor’s Garden

Yuri Yuan’s virtuosic paintings deftly explore the tension between artistry and performance anxiety—the various ways we reveal our creativity even as we conceal ourselves from sight.

Publication
Alexander Berggruen
Published
Spring 2025
Genre
Essay

In 2025 the artist Yuri Yuan invited me to write a catalogue essay⁠ for “Hide and Seek⁠” at Alexander Berggruen, an exhibition of ten paintings that deftly explore the tension between artistry and performance anxiety. Additional text by Dr. Ben Street and featuring an interview with Rirkrit Tiravanija.

Exhibition Catalogue⁠

Cover of the catalogue Yuri Yuan: Hide and Seek, children playing in a snowy park.
The catalogue opened to “Scenes from the Emperor’s Garden” by Will Fenstermaker.
Spread of a blue painting of hands sorting through scattered books and papers.
Spread of a painting of a woman playing the flute in front of yellow bird-patterned wallpaper.
Spread with a photograph of the artist in her studio and contributor biographies.
Cover of the catalogue Yuri Yuan: Hide and Seek, children playing in a snowy park.
The catalogue opened to “Scenes from the Emperor’s Garden” by Will Fenstermaker.
Spread of a blue painting of hands sorting through scattered books and papers.
Spread of a painting of a woman playing the flute in front of yellow bird-patterned wallpaper.
Spread with a photograph of the artist in her studio and contributor biographies.