Shuqin Yan

NYU Cinema Studies, I mainly do research on the theory of contemporary video art. Previously, I worked in the field of contemporary art, doing curation, writing criticisms, and posting art interviews.

My name is Shuqin Yan 書勤 refers to a Chinese poem: Diligence is the path up the mountain of knowledge.I have a double bachelor’s degree in art history and journalism from China. And, I graduated from the School of Visual Arts with an MA in Critical Theory and Arts. 

I am incredibly interested in the films exhibited in art museums. Currently, avant-garde films, art films, and documentaries have long been undervalued. The audience size is much smaller than narrative films, and the social impact seems far less than blockbusters. However, avant-garde films have produced content subversion with philosophical concepts; art films have redefined the medium with aesthetics; and documentaries have empowered each individual with nonfictional narratives. 

My favorite movies: The Double Life of Veronique(1991)；Poet(2010)；Surname Viet Given Name Nam(1989)； The Assessin(2015)； Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania（1972）

Interested fields: Film philosophy(Gilles Deleuze), Films in museums, Poetics of cinema, Media study

What is Cinema to me?

There are several key words in my mind when we talk about cinema. 

  • Mirror. In general speaking, cinema mirrors our society as a two-way mirror. Films not only reflect the experience of our lives but also affect change to some extent. Academically, Jean-Louis Baudry suggested the screen-mirror model by linking the screen to the mirror. He aimed to introduce Lacan’s ‘mirror stage’ theory into film theory in the stage of projection and viewing in the Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus. Specularization was established when spectators (subjects) tried to fill in the gaps in the signifier order.
  • Dreams. Edward Yang says in his film Yi Yi (2000) that after the invention of the movie, human life was extended by at least three times. The film is assembled as a dream, allowing people to explore different lives. 
  • Insitition. The annual Academy Awards ceremony is a grand event in the film industry. Everyone pays attention to the nominated and winning films each year. Many more films are excluded from the system. While paying attention to film theory, I hope to focus on marginalized films
  • Team-working. A movie is made by a team: a director, a scriptwriter, actors, an editor, a sound mixer, and most importantly, an audience. Never forget the viewers. Spectatorship studies will be my focus.