​AA alumnus Chris Zhongtian Yuan discusses his prize-winning film with AA tutor Manijeh Verghese for Aesthetica Magazine

AA alumnus Chris Zhongtian Yuan was awarded Aesthetica’s Emerging Art Prize for his project Counterfictions. He developed the project during his time with Diploma 12 with Inigo Minns and Manijeh Verghese. You can now read an interview between, Chris and AA Diploma 12 tutor and Head of Public Programmes Manijeh Verghese discussing Counterfictions, the 2021 Venice Biennale British Pavilion, and the importance of non-binary thinking.

Chris commented that:

'Counterfictions originated in the present moment when the status of truth is no longer stable. My initial research delved into the fact and fiction in Trump’s speeches, tweets and words surrounding the US/ Mexico border wall. I was able to construct a sliding scale of reality and fiction, and placed each of Trump’s fictions along this scale. The gradients made it believable – the fictions have become alternative realities that require serious attention and precise actions.'

Read the conversation