Yu Yang is both a scholar and a moving image artist, whose work bridges academic research and creative practice. He holds an M.A. in Fine Arts from the Venice Academy of Fine Arts and a Ph.D. in Artistic Studies from the University of Lisbon. Currently, he serves as a tenured lecturer at the School of Fine Arts, Zhengzhou University, and a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon.
As a scholar, Yu Yang’s research focuses on transcendental style in cinema, spirituality and ambiguity in visual culture, and intercultural aesthetics across East and Southeast Asia. His doctoral work was recognized by the Association of Moving Image Researchers (AIM) in Portugal with the Best Postgraduate Student Work Award (2024), and he has published multiple peer-reviewed articles on film criticism, cultural heritage, and visual arts.
As an artist, Yu Yang explores the intersection of poetic imagery and spiritual experience through moving images, video installations, and short films. His works have been screened internationally, including at the Festival of Cinema NYC, and his video art was showcased in the Arte Laguna Prize (2023) and supported by residency and film grants from Australia and Russia.
Combining theoretical depth with artistic sensibility, Yu Yang continues to investigate how visual forms express transcendence, silence, and ambiguity across different cultural contexts.
Education
2019/01/16 – 2023/01/10, Ph.D. in Art Studies, University of Lisbon — awarded with Distinction.
2014/10/15 – 2018/03/05, M.A. in Fine Arts, Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, Italy.
2006/09/10 – 2010/06/24, B.A. in Environmental Design, School of Design, Jiangnan University, China.
Positions
Tenure-track Lecturer, School of Fine Arts, Zhengzhou University, China (2023–present).
Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Portugal (2023–present).
Artist, self-employed (2011–present)
Research Interests
Film criticism, art theory, comparative literature, visual arts, and interdisciplinary studies on transcendental style in East and Southeast Asian cinema.
Projects and Grants
1. 2025-2028. Central Plains Talent Plan – Youth Talent Program, funded by the Organization Department of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee, China.
2. 2024-2027. Startup Research Fund, funded by Zhengzhou University, China.
3. 2024. Film7Days, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation.
Honors and Awards
Academic Awards1. Central Plains Talent Plan – Youth Program, Henan Provincial Government, China, 2025
2. Best Postgraduate Student Work, Association of Moving Image Researchers (AIM), Portugal, 2024
Art Awards3. Best Experimental/Animation/Music Video (Nominee), Festival of Cinema NYC, USA, 2025
4. Artist in the Spotlight (Video Art & Short Film), 18th Arte Laguna Prize, Italy, 2023
5. Best Short Animation (Nominee), Short to the Point International Film Festival, Romania, 2017
Academic publications
Book Chapter1. “A Taxonomy of the Complexities of Embedded Narratives in Film: From Literary Description Simulation to the Visuality-Triggered Self-Referential Fallacy.” In Innovación y expresión: Un recorrido por las artes, la cultura visual y la inteligencia artificial en la era digital, Madrid: Dykinson, 2024. ISBN: 978-84-1170-920-0
2. “Contactless Guidance: An Analysis of the Visual Symbols on Covid-19 Posters.” In [ ] With Design: Reinventing Design Modes. Singapore: Springer, 2021. ISBN: 978-981-19-4471-0. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-4472-7_217
Journal Articles3. “How Music Enhances the Lynchian Narrative: Angelo Badalamenti’s ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ and ‘Audrey’s Dance’ in Twin Peaks.” The International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies, 2025. (In press)
4. “Deceptive Retrospective Narrative Strategy and Synchronistic Prerequisite: Case Study on The Design of Impossible Puzzles.” CINEJ Cinema Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2023, pp. 258–288. DOI: 10.5195/cinej.2023.475.
5. “Metaphors for Puzzles, Time, and Dreams: Ambiguous Narratives in Kaili Blues.” The International Journal of Literary Humanities, Vol. 21, No. 2, 2023, pp. 1–20. DOI: 10.18848/2327-7912/cgp/v21i02/1-20.
6. “Projection of Multiple Fantasies: De-subjectivity of Images in Long Day’s Journey into Night.” The International Journal of the Image, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2022, pp. 63–79. DOI: 10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v13i01/63-79.
7. “The Fallacy of Self-Referencing Images: The Use of Ambiguous Characters in Moving Images through the Form of Painting.” RIACT—Journal of Artistic Research, Creation and Technology, No. 3, 2021, pp. 13–35. http://hdl.handle.net/10451/54157.
8. “The Relationship between Metalepsis Narrative Technique and Narrative Specificity of Puzzle Films.” Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies, 2025. (Under revision)
9. “Analyzing Lost Highway as a Non-deterministic Narrative Convention: Initiating Déjà Vu to Establish Alternative Causality.” Projections: The Journal for Movies and Mind, 2026. (Under revision)
Confrence Papers10. “Analyzing the Narrative Context of Post-industrial Audio-visual Works in Northeast China from the Absurdity in the Documentary Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002)”. Paper presented in 2024 International Conference on Language Research and Communication (ICLRC 2024), Kuala Lumpur, 2024. DOI: 10.1051/shsconf/202419904001
11. “Space or Hyperspace? The Stage Design of Kunqu Opera Restores the Inner Experience of Jiangnan Gardens”. Paper presented in (IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S): A Conference on Design, Culture and Technology – Past, Present, and Future, Canterbury, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10451/56518
Selected Artistic Works
1. Video Art Installation: Nel Pomeriggio — Daydreaming, Seagulls, Flowing River (2024)
Link: https://i0.wp.com/bigci.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Poster-090624.jpg?ssl=1
https://vimeo.com/958357504
https://vimeo.com/958025093
2. Short Film (Director): Miss Tobacco’s Manuscript (2024)
Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33606476
3. Short Film (Director): The Fantastic Journey of Kazania (2024)
Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33702867
4. Short Animation (Director): Siren & Zatoichi (2017)
Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23332160
Academic Contributions
Journal Article Review1. The International Journal of Design Education (2325-1298), Common Ground Research Networks.
2. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies (2327-008X), Common Ground Research Networks.
3. The International Journal of Designed Objects (2325-1395), Common Ground Research Networks.
4. The International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies (2327-0055), Common Ground Research Networks.
5. The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts (2326-9960), Common Ground Research Networks.
Conference scientific committee6. The 6th Barcelona Conference on Arts, Media & Culture (BAMC2025)
Talks and Presentations
1. 2025/10/03. “Seriousness, Banter, and Vulgarization: The Shift in the Meaning of Sex and Violence in the Northeastern Renaissance.” The 6th Barcelona Conference on Arts, Media & Culture (BAMC2025), Barcelona, Spain.
2. 2024/06/09. “Nel Pomeriggio — Daydreaming, Seagulls, Flowing River.” Exhibition Hall, Bilpin International Ground for Creative Initiatives (BigCi), Bilpin, Australia
3. 2023/12/10. “Predicting the Potential Effects of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) on Future Film Narrative.” 2023 International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries, Shanghai, China.
4. 2023/11/23. “Shots, Dialogue, and Scenes: A Study of the Development of Embedding Patterns in Film Narrative.” IV Congreso Internacional de Formación Permanente Nodos del Conocimiento, Madrid, Spain.
5. 2022/12/17. “Deceptive retrospective narrative strategy and synchronous narrative premise: How to design an "impossible puzzle" in film narrative.” “Communicate with the elites of the world, connect the best in the world” Scholar Forum Design Discipline Sub-forum, Chengdu, China.
6. 2022/09/28. “Projection of Multiple Fantasies: De-subjectivity of Images in Long Day’s Journey into Night.” Thirteenth International Conference on The Image, Austin, TX, US.
7.
