Q: How would you describe your relationship to the West Coast?
A: I was born in China but spent my formative years growing up in Los Angeles. Nothing makes me feel more at home and myself than being on the West Coast—under the sun, having access to both mountains and ocean. I feel so fortunate to have grown up in this environment.
Q: Name one thing you’ve read, looked at, watched, or listened to this month that left an impression on you:
A: Mommy, a Canadian film following a single mother’s relationship with her teenage son. Without spoiling the movie, it’s quite an intense storyline and I’ve been thinking about to what extent we’re a product of our circumstances and how the failures of the systems around us come into play.
Q: When did your artistic journey begin and what was the spark?
A: I’ve always loved art, but my creative journey didn’t fully begin until quite recently. I studied business in undergrad and worked in corporate for nearly five years until 2022. At the time, it felt daunting to pursue a life I had no concept of, but looking back I’m grateful I took the leap.
Q: How has your work changed in the last five years?
A: Hahah going off the last question—I’d say my work has shifted significantly since five years ago considering I was still committed to a corporate career at the time. Since being in grad school, I’ve embraced experimentation and my work has evolved to be more open, while still involving the human figure and psyche.
Q: If you had to choose a new medium to work with, what would it be?
A: Recently I’ve been trying out encaustic and playing with the different ways wax lends itself to my work. I’m fascinated by the layering, translucency, texture and skin-like qualities of this medium.
Q: Shared workspace or solo studio?
A: I’m grateful to have access to a private studio space with lots of natural light here in New Haven.
Q: Five artists, dead or alive, that you’d invite to dinner:
A: The icons: Louise Bourgeois, Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin. And it’s not a dinner party without your best friends: Amy Chasse and Faye Wei Wei, who also happen to be two incredible painters in my program!
Q: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned recently, art-related or not?
A: How insanely satisfying but expensive oil sticks can be. @rfpaints I’m here if you have any to spare:)
Using a layered process, Yuwei Tu (b. 1995, Sichuan, China) articulates the nuance and complexity of interior worlds primarily through painting. Her work is informed by personal experiences and investigations in the construction of identities and relationships to create a visual language of the self and psyche. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Painting and Printmaking at Yale School of Art, class of 2026.
Yuwei Tu’s work is on view in Fire and Life at Charlotte Call Gallery in Los Angeles through October 25, 2025.