Xiaowen Yu

UNTAMED is a collection about inner independence and the experience of navigating between cultural contexts. Even while moving through shifting environments, societies, and cultural systems, the integrity and autonomy of the self remain vital.

Using metal as the central material, the series explores the fluid yet tense boundaries between body, object, and space. Through the bending, stitching, and cutting of metal, I construct three-dimensional structures that interact with the body—reflecting the tension between the individual and the external world.

“Untamed” refers to a state of being that is ungoverned and unconstrained—like raw metal before forging, or wilderness untouched by human control. By engaging with the memory of metal and the intimacy of spatial relationships, the collection expresses a belief: even in times of instability, transformation, and layered identities, we can still choose to remain true—preserving that raw, untamed part of ourselves.