Vanessa Yuen
Artist & Lobe Artist Residency Technician
Vanessa Lefan樂凡 Yuen (Van Lefan, she/they) is a Taiwanese multidisciplinary artist currently based in the traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlil̓wətaʔɬ peoples (Vancouver, BC).
Inspired by her connections with the natural world, plant medicines, and ancestry, Lefan works with sound, movement, images, and words as ways of storytelling, connection, and inquiry into the intangible aspects of personal and collective experiences.
Her 2022 debut album, "What Holds Us Together?" is a sonic journey that synergizes various genres of music with field recordings, experimental soundscapes, and poetry, holding a mirror up to the listener as both an invitation for self-inquiry, and a collective call to action.
Through ongoing residencies with What Lab, Lefan is currently researching the intersection between her aerial hoop practice, electroacoustic music, sound installation, controlled feedback, and counseling background through an immersive installation titled "Unsent Letters: To Whom it May Concern".
This piece investigates memories - the remnants of past events that remain within our bodies, dreams, objects, and spaces, to be forgotten, discovered, processed, buried, again and again.
