Haoyu Cui

My first perception of death was traumatic. Seeing a familiar face and body so estranged from recognition forced me to consider the process leading up to death and its aftermath. Therefore, an imaginary murder is necessary. The moving image is an attempt to weave a narrative through the violence of photographing the imaginary deaths of my friends. In this way, I hope to better understand the calamity of mortality.

Shelly (Haoyu) Cui is a digital artist working at the intersection of video and photography. Often inspired by morbidness and the grotesque, her work investigates taboo topics in culture and society.