Outdoor
In the United States, a ‘resident alien’ is a person who resides in the country without holding US citizenship. Guanyu Xu’s self-titled project depicts the homes of people waiting to normalise their status. Having emigrated to Chicago, the Chinese artist drew on his experience to develop this series from 2020 between China and the US. Meeting people with different visa status, Xu enters their homes. He photographs their interiors and personal belongings, then prints his shots and their photo archives. On his return to the location, he hangs up all the prints before photographing his ephemeral installation. A challenging work, Resident Aliens highlights the complexity of the migratory condition and the resilience of those who divide their lives between two countries.
Exhibition layout and design by Images Vevey and the artist
