Yiwen’s practice originates from her meditative walks and encounters within nature, where she gazes attentively at the everyday natural world. She positions herself as a fellow inhabitant among the organisms she observes, yet refrains from intervention. From the dynamic stillness of the natural realm, Yiwen distils a method of transformation for her work — employing refined, economical gestures to articulate certain “non-human” instincts inherent in nature.

In her works, we see her isolating or magnifying particular fragments or characteristics of plant forms — entwining stems, thorns, microscopic algae, for example. Amidst nature’s slow processes of growth, Yiwen’s works allow us to feel the softness of plants and molluscs, and to marvel at the silent struggles, macro-level unity, and the fine tensions that lie beneath the surface of growth.