My research involves conducting an ethnographic study of 100 people from more than 20 countries via the completion of oil-based portraits in their personal rooms.

I use life-drawing and interview recording methods to study the relationship between human beings in space (private space, cyberspace), body (race, gender, capital), and art, and compare the similarities and differences in philosophical thinking between the East and the West regarding existentialism problems. During this process, I experienced many ideological and cultural shocks through direct dialogue with people of different races and colours, and collected very rich research materials. In the course of this research, it has continuously broken my racial stereotypes, giving me the fortunate opportunity to have a deeper understanding of different races, gender identities and cultures.

As an artist and anthropologist, the racial research on skin colour has deeply aroused my interest. It can be proved through painting that ethnic classification should not be based on prudent empirical reasoning. On the contrary, it is an arbitrary artificial creation and social construction. As an Asian woman, I am in a relatively disadvantaged situation of race and gender. I have the opportunity to hear the views of different races on others. People don’t have to fear or hide their opinions and prejudices with me. I think this is my advantage as a field researcher. My fast and accurate life-drawing skills also prove to be a useful tool and provide a unique perspective in this field. I use art to enter people’s private spaces and lives and to promote understanding between different races around the world.

Full Name: YunChu Chang  

Citizenship: Taiwanese

Languages: Mandarin, Taiwanese, English

2017-2023  Ph.D. Candidate, Institute for the contemporary arts, Lancaster University, UK (Passed Viva examination Feb 2023)

2015     M.F.A., Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts, Taiwan

2009      B.A., Department of Arts and Design, National Tsinghua University, Taiwan

2007-11   Diploma in Nursery Education and Special Education, National Tsinghua University, Taiwan

2022-2023      Graduate Teaching Assistant, FASS652 – Decolonising Higher Education – ‘What can art do?’, Sociology Department, Lancaster University, UK

2021      Lecturer, ‘Race and Colour of Art’ Academic Skill Module, Realising Opportunities Central Team, Newcastle

2021-2022      Lecturer, ‘Life- drawing’ Fine Art Practice Module, Lancaster University, Lancaster

2020      Lecturer, ‘Race and Colour of Art’ Academic Skill Module, Realising Opportunities Central Team, Lancaster University, Lancaster

2018-2019   Research assistant, ‘Remembering Resistance’ work with Dr. Sarah Marsden and Dr. Chris Boyko, Lancaster University, Lancaster

2007-2017   I established an Arts studio in Taiwan and taught continuously for more than ten years.

Fine Art: Oil painting, Water colour, Chinese ink, Sketch, Portraits, Landscape,  Life-drawing, Anatomy of art

Anthropology: Cultural/Social anthropology, Field research, Ethnography

Philosophy: Existential phenomenology (Martin Heidegger)

2022     Three anatomical pictures were collected and published in ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine Best Practices of Wellness (2022)’, ISBN: 9786263435056

2020     ‘Culture studies through practice: oil painting, colour and race’, NAFAE call and response presentation, Postgraduate Art and Design, Royal College of Art

2023    Solo Exhibition: ‘100 Rooms- Painting as a Means of Phenomenological Investigation of Being-there’, The Storey Gallery, Lancaster, UK 

2023    Solo Exhibition: ‘The Light in the Crack – Portraits of the Forsaken’, IMMA, Taipei, Taiwan 

2022    Solo Exhibition: ‘The Light in the Crack – Portraits of the Forsaken’, 20 institutions across Taipei, Taiwan 

2019    “Remembering Resistance” Exhibition, Sheffield Museum, Sheffield, UK

2019     “Remembering Resistance” Exhibition, Manchester Central Library, Manchester, UK

2015     Solo Exhibition: “The Significance Behind Body Language in Non-place”, 

2015       Taiwan 11th Taiwan National Exhibition, Merit Award, Taiwan

2014       National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Joint Exhibition: “Better Not in there”,

2014       “Bumper Harvest” purchased by National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taiwan

2014       Taiwan Businessmen’s Dougguan School Oil Painting Joint Exhibition, Guangzhou, China

2014       13th National Large-sized Oil Painting Exhibition, Merit Award, Taiwan

2014      10th Taiwan National Exhibition, Merit Award, Taiwan

2013      12th National Large-sized Oil Painting Exhibition, Merit Award, Taiwan

2013      6th Cross-strait (Xiamen) Cultural Industries Fair Oil Painting Joint Exhibition, Xiamen, China

2012      Taiwan Young Artists Oil Painting Joint Exhibition, Guangzhou, China