Q&A with Yitian Chen

Briefly describe your thesis project. What themes are you exploring, and in what mediums/with what materials?
My thesis project focuses on rethinking ways of seeing. Working primarily with photography, I shift away from emphasizing decisive moments and instead focus on subtle traces left by different forces, such as growth, gravity, environmental conditions, and human intervention. These traces often exist in spaces where the natural and the urban intersect and overlap. I then organize individual images through sequencing, using these forces as a connecting thread. This structure helps hold the viewer’s attention and encourages a slower way of looking, allowing often overlooked details to become perceptible.

What do you hope someone feels when they experience your work?
I hope viewers can experience a sense of quietness in the work, and that they are encouraged to slow down and spend more time looking. Through this slower engagement, they may begin to notice subtle details.

Did you always know this would be your final project? When or how did you figure it out?
It wasn’t like this at the beginning. In my earlier work, I tended to approach landscape as a relatively static image, focusing more on form and visual qualities. After working in two seemingly opposite environments — natural spaces and urban spaces — I began to realize that they are not simply in opposition. Through repeated photographing and close observation, my way of seeing gradually shifted. This change led me to rethink the relationship between photography, time, and movement, which eventually developed into my current project.

How have you evolved as an artist over the years?
My practice has shifted from focusing on what to photograph to how to see. In the past, I was more concerned with the subject itself. I often looked for inspiration in nature, partly because I found urban environments uninteresting. However, through this project, I began working within urban spaces, and I started to notice many things I had previously overlooked. These details gradually became more visible to me, and this shift made me pay closer attention to subtle forms and changes in my work. Overall, my process has become slower and more observational.

Describe what it’s been like to make work alongside your cohort.
Working alongside my cohort has been important in shaping how I think about my work. Through critiques and conversations, I’ve been encouraged to clarify my ideas and push beyond my initial assumptions. Seeing how others approach different materials and concepts has also expanded my understanding of what photography can do. It’s been a process of both challenge and support.