Enclave Playground, 2025
Yu Mingjing
Time-lapse photography, participatory performance, social practice, size variable
This work began as a collaborative creation with migrants in an "enclave": the artist invited Yi ethnic children who had migrated into a Third Front construction residential area to tumble and run through the historical spaces they regarded as their playground—squares, stairwells, and streets.
Using time-lapse photography, the artist recorded the children's bodily movements as blurred trails of light and shadow. These are no longer portraits in the traditional sense, but rather distilled, animal-like apparitions—emanations of vital energy—pulsating, struggling, and blooming against the backdrop of frozen industrial history.
The artist then attempted to anchor these images as "landmarks" on local map apps such as Baidu and Amap. However, these applications were consistently rejected by the systems for "non-compliance with guidelines." These automated rejections, together with screenshots of the suspended applications, form the final and most critical component of the work.
Participator: Dudu、Jishixixi、Jishizhifei、Xiongda、Xiaomei、Suomei、Jiashibulin、Xiaoxiong、 Photographer:Mingjing Yu
On Site
About the Artist
Mingjing Yu is a multidisciplinary artist working across participatory actions, video, photography, sound, and installation. Her practice explores memory, collective subconscious, and emotional connections, using metaphorical materials and intuitive methods to create subtle sensory experiences.
Yu’s work reflects on themes such as industrial migration, family histories, and social identity, transforming private experiences into shared landscapes. Through participatory projects and material interventions, she examines the fragility of emotions and the dynamic relationship between body and society.
A graduate of Chelsea College of Art, Yu is based in Shanghai. Her works have been exhibited at Ac Cube (Chengdu), Koganecho Art Center (Yokohama), and AVG Space (Chengdu), among others. She has also participated in residencies including Koganecho Air and OCAT Shenzhen, continuing to explore the connections between space, memory, and identity.
Crowdfunding
We’ve launched a new way to support public art.
These works weren’t commissioned. They appeared because artists care—about their city, their neighbors, and the everyday spaces we share. Now it’s up to the public to respond. If a work speaks to you, support it. Help keep powerful art in public space, where it belongs.
Your donation goes directly to the artist.
















