Yeni Mao

Yeni Mao's (b. 1971, Canada) sculptures possess a captivating narrative undertone, often drawing from the artist's transnational background. Themes of displacement, migration, fragmented and sexualized bodies, and their connection to the built environment are interwoven throughout Mao's work. Using a variety of materials (such as ceramic, volcanic rock, brass, steel, and leather), Mao skillfully contrasts textures, volumes, and densities to create sculptures and installations that evoke both abstract and anthropomorphic elements, occasionally taking on a zoomorphic quality. These artworks possess a domestic allure or industrial character, serving as a subtle nod to the cultural influences surrounding the artist and the non-Western traditions he has left behind. Mao's practice is alchemic insofar as his work is reduced to the most primal materials in order to transform them into what he terms "objects of significance".

Yeni Mao (b. 1971) is a Chinese-American sculptor based in Mexico City. He received a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and subsequently trained in foundry work in California and the architectural industries of New York. Among his recent notable exhibitions are "Innumerable Fires" at Campeche in Mexico City, a solo presentation at Frieze Los Angeles with Make Room, "An array of disruptions and codependencies" at Brooke Benington in London, "Yerba Mala" at Campeche in Mexico City, "I desire the strength of nine tigers" at Fierman Gallery in New York, and a public sculpture with Brooke Benington at Canary Wharf, London; a solo exhibition at Museo Anahuacalli in Mexico City is forthcoming in fall 2026. He has participated in group exhibitions at Museo Tamayo and Museo Anahuacalli in Mexico City and at Dallas Contemporary. Additionally, his work is included in the collections of Museo Jumex, the Kadist Foundation, and the CC Foundation, and he was recently commissioned by the new SOHO House Mexico City for an installation. He is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.