River Yuhao Cao
River Yuhao Cao is a moving image and performance artist based in London. River’s recent work has revolved around practices of mourning and memory, with a particular focus on the figure of the revenant, a reanimated body who returns from the afterlife to haunt the living. Their practice reimagines the performative act of lamentation in regional Chinese cultures through a queer lens, revealing the possibilities of a fluid subject that can explore the landscapes of the past.
Selected recent exhibitions include: Forma Arts and Media, London; Reference Point 180, The Strand, London; Ugly Duck, London; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Saatchi Gallery, London; Goldsmiths CCA, London; Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, Manchester; The Yard Theatre, London; Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham; Spike Island, Bristol; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; Ludwig Museum of Art, Cologne; Joy Museum, Beijing; West Bund Art Center, Shanghai.
Portrait of River Yuhao Cao. Photo by Mike Olliston
River Yuhao Cao, The Glass Essays (2024), stills. Developed through the FLAMIN Fellowship; additional support from FORMA Arts and Media; supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Courtesy of the artist.
Video: River Yuhao Cao, The Glass Essays (2024), trailer
River Yuhao Cao, River is My Hometown (2021), stills. Courtesy of the artist
Video: River Yuhao Cao, River is My Hometown (2021), trailer
River Yuhao Cao, I Found a Dead Bird (2022), performance documentation, Forma HQ, London (2023). Photo courtesy of Forma.
River Yuhao Cao, I Found a Dead Bird (2022), performance documentation, Forma HQ, London (2023). Photo courtesy of Forma.
River Cao, I Found a Dead Bird (2022), performance documentation, Ugly Duck, London (2022). Photo by Yasmine Akim
Video: River Yuhao Cao, I Found a Dead Bird (2022), excerpt. Performed at Forma HQ, London (2023)
River Yuhao Cao, I Found a Dead Bird (2022), performance documentation, Forma HQ, London (2023). Photo courtesy of Forma.
