Zhanchao Pan




About






                                   Artist Statement


 



Born in Nanjing, China in 2001, Zhanchao Pan (Yuyi) is a multidisciplinary artist currently living in London. Since 2019, she has been studying at the University of the Arts London and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at Chelsea College of Art. Her practice begins with self-exploration and expands into a meticulous investigation of the intersection between material existence and spiritual exploration.

Her work often unfolds from personal experience, twin family and Buddhist background, exploring how internal emotional states interact with the visible world. She is particularly interested in how life experience, identity and memory can be translated into visual language - often through subtle emotional cues, layered textures and dynamic color arrangements. Yuyi sees art making as an extension of life itself, and her creative direction is closely related to the rhythm of her personal development.

Her work covers installation, video, performance and photography. She is attracted to traditional and emerging technologies, and approaches each material with curiosity and openness. Through abstraction and playful visual strategies, she constructs sensory spaces that encourage reflection on identity and the contradictions of contemporary life. At the core of her practice is the pursuit of emotional balance, inner sensitivity, and reflection on daily experiences.

Currently, Yuyi focuses on themes of twin psychological identity and philosophy in the everyday. She draws inspiration from overlooked aspects of everyday life - tiny objects, fleeting gestures, quiet moments - and uses them to build a personal visual vocabulary. Her work not only aims to express her inner landscape, but also invites the audience to jointly reflect on feelings, memories and the meaning of existence.

By combining the tangible and the intangible, Yuyi's practice is both a record and a transformation: a record of the emotional truth of life, a poetic gesture towards a deeper understanding. In this way, she constantly questions and redefines the boundaries between self and society, spirit and material, art and life.

                             
                  CV





       

Exhibition


           

2025

“Ten Question Marks” Group Exhibition, Cookhouse Gallery, Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK

“On and on and on” Pop-up show, Silk St, Barbican, London, UK 


2024
                                                    
“Nomination Exhibition of Young Contemporary Artists” Group Exhibition, Shenzhen, China                                          
“Floating Dream” Group Exhibition, London, United Kingdom

“Not that Professional, But at shows Our professionalism As much as Possible” Group Exhibition, Cookhouse Gallery, Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK

‘little show” Group Exhibition, Cookhouse Gallery, Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK

BA Degree Show, Group Exhibition, Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, London, UK



           


           

Select Awards & Honors




2024
                                                       
Emerging Woman Artist 2024, Selected
                                          
Nomination Exhibition of Young Contemporary Artists, Emerging Artist Award                                          
Nomination Exhibition of Young Contemporary Artists, Third Prize

         

         
Publication


           
2025

Three Days of Deaths (short fiction), Delta Magazine, China. Indexed by CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure)                                   




           

Education



           
2019-2020                                                 

The University of the Arts London, Camberwell College 
                                          
Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Arts and Design



2021-2024
                                                 
The University of the Arts London, Chelsea College of Arts
                                          
Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours