Mallory Yanhan Qiu is a rising artist based in Chicago, Illinois, born in Chongqing, China in 2000. Her interdisciplinary approach reflects her deep passion and honed expertise in the areas of live video and sound performance, sonic exploration, body movement, poetry, and digital visual art.
Fueled by her curiosity in the realm of physical sensation and mimicking biological movements, Qiu endeavors to invert the familiar and discover memory-laden locations that exist simultaneously in proximity and distance. Through examination of the tumultuous fluctuations of daily life, she endeavors to bridge the gaps between space, physicality, and recollection. By seamlessly integrating elements of movement, auditory study, and visual art, Qiu creates works that probe and expand upon one’s experiences and perspectives in both the physical and virtual spheres. Qiu has performed at Compound Yellow, Epiphany Center for the Arts, Elastic Arts, Mana Contemporary, {} () {} ∆ ‡ | () {} Nonation Art Lab, Research House for Asian Art, SAIC, and Tritriangle.
As an emerging curator who focused on performance art, Qiu currently works as the Curatorial Assistant at High Concept Labs (HCL). She is in the Curatorial Team of Elevate Chicago Dance 2022, produced by Chicago Dancemakers Forum (CDF), and Destinos Chicago International Latino Theater Festival 2022, produced by Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA).
To explore her interests in soundscapes, Qiu also participates closely in the NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS 2022 Soundwalk series produced by the Midwest Society for Acoustic Ecology (MSAE) as a documenter, and leads soundwalks of Hear Below program developed by NON: op Open Opera Works and MSAE as a teaching artist.