Ya-Chu Kang

December 2025

Born in Taiwan, Ya-chu Kang lives and works between Taipei and Bangkok. A multidisciplinary artist, her work blurs the line between reality and imagination. Her practice explores the connections between traditional craftsmanship and physical labor, life conditions and migration, economic exchange and social behavior. Kang often draws inspiration from textile traditions and global post-colonial narratives, examining how natural and social environments are perceived through each project. With references to anthropology and ecology, her work intertwines questions of subconscious experience, existential crises, and the pursuit of sustainable futures. Her creations frequently address themes of boundaries, transitions, and processes—ranging from hand-woven textiles to unconventional sculptures embedded with industrial histories and environmental shifts—challenging viewers to reconsider notions of resilience and transformation.

Kang is the recipient of the 2014 Lung Yingtai Cultural Foundation Fellowship (Taiwan), the 2008 Asian Cultural Council Fellowship, the 2007 Freeman Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center (USA), and has participated in the 2024-25 AIR program at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France. She has been actively involved in community art initiatives and educational collaborations. Her multimedia practice spans textiles, painting, sculptural installations, and photo-video documentary, with publications including Textile Map, Volumes 1, 2, and 3. She is currently engaged in cultural research across various countries.

Dirt Carpet No. 15 – White Gold, 2023
New York, USA
White sand

Dirt Carpet No. 13 – Carbonization, 2022
Tainan, Taiwan

Dirt Carpet No. 8, 2019
Hong Kong

Dirt Carpet No. 1 – The Loop, 2014
Thailand

Spinning and Imitating the (In)tangible, 2021
Singal-channel video installation,
wild firing technique, clay, bamboo,
cotton threads, video, digital C-print, chopsticks, wax
COTTON Project
Chapter VI – White Gold, 2024
USA, Lao, Thailand, Taiwan
Tainan, Taiwan
COTTON Project
Chapter I – Everything about Cotton
is about Cotton, 2018
India & Taiwan
SILK Project
Chapter IV – Crawl Up on the Mountages, 2023
Taiwan
SILK Project
Chapter III – Gathered then Become, 2022
Thailand

Contemporary Archaeology Project
Chapter I – Cartilage (Portugal), 2018
Contemporary Textile Art Biennial
AIR Project, Guimarães, Portugal

Contemporary Archaeology Project
Rolling Time, 2024
Taiwan

Wool Project
Chapter IV – Forgotten Yarns, 2023
Taipei, Taiwan

Wool Project
Chapter II – Mihumisung, 2021–22
Taitung, Taiwan