MM Yu (b. 1978, the Philippines) obtained her Bachelor of Fine Art, majoring in painting, from the University of Philippines in 2001. She was the recipient of the Ateneo Art Gallery-Common Room Bandung Residency Grant in 2007 and was the finalist for Nokia Art Awards in 2001. She has recently participated in group shows such as, Beyond Frame at the UTS Gallery, Sydney Australia (2008) and Manila Envelopein Honolulu, Hawaii (2007). She currently lives and works in Manila.


STATEMENT

MM Yu’s Thoughts Collected, Recollected challenges the boundaries between an artwork and a book as well as the gallery and the library. The work - a collection of photographs taken by the artist- is not merely an installation. The artist has chosen to display her books on a shelf, suggesting a structure that references the library. 

Each hand-made photograph book is thematic. Without text, the viewer is invited to engage with the images in order to construct a narrative from them. Like sitting through a library, one finds books on various subjects such as the letters MM, funny faces, the artist neighbour, the artist with strangers, etc.

While each of the books tells a different story, this extended library also pays homage to the long standing artistic tradition of self portraiture. Each book reveals a little more about the artist: what interests her, what amuses her, where she finds inspiration, and how she works. 

-Vincent Alessi