Wendi is a performance artist, costume designer, ritualist, and visual artist
In the first
I dislike talking about myself in the third person, especially when it comes to my practice. I cannot be at a remove from one of the most defining things about me. I want you to understand my passion for what I do, how painful it is sometimes, how invested I am in this work, and how much I am still learning. I am not, nor am I interested in being, a finished product.
As a lost great-grandchild of the diaspora, I sometimes use my art to learn more about my ancestry. This could look like learning about traditional Filipino patterns and incorporating them into the background of a print, or researching Chinese festival traditions in order to host a cultural event, or learning about the colonial harm caused by my Dutch ancestors so I can create and sell a piece and donate the proceeds to the descendants of the peoples who were originally harmed.
My aim in everything I do is to create entry points into dialogue and discovery. I want to think critically, move through life with love, and be a part of building beautiful, healing, thriving communities. I want to show everyone that they have that ability within them. Because I don’t adhere to any particular discipline, this gives me the freedom to let projects speak for themselves and tell me how they should look and feel, which in turn results in a more powerful and honest experience for everyone who is a part of my work. If you’ve experienced what I do, I hope you agree.
In the third
Wendi YuLing a queer non-binary* artist and activist of Filipino, Chinese, Scottish, and Dutch descent. They were born (1973) to a mother from Washington state and a father from Hawai’i. Her home base is nestled between the mountains and the ocean in Portland, Oregon.
In their formative years, punk and new wave counterculture informed their practice, and painting, drawing, and fashion were their main modes of expression. Wendi still rejects conformity, and refuses to adhere to a dedicated style, theme or visual language; they are a performance artist, costume designer, ritualist, and visual artist, and she explores the complexity of existence through the multiple lenses of compassion, liberation, death, and subversion, oftentimes researching deeply into history and culture and working in collaboration with other artists and community. Their projects manifest as everything from installations, to performance pieces, to silkscreened t-shirts and patches.
Recently on Instagram…
“A revolution that is based on the people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of humankind.
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