The question if art is necessary in life and society, is no question, says Moka Sheung Yan.

"Art is aside of human instincts the most primitive way of self-expression.", she explains.
"Without cave paintings the biggest part of himan history would be undocumented."
Therefor art and its differnet cultural regions are suitable for tracing.
In Vienna, where the 25-years old born chinese Sheungyan lives for 1,5 years now, wants to figure out the peculiarity of austrian culture.
Already while studying painting in London Yan took an exchange semester in the austrian capital, which history fascinated her ever since.
"I wanted to understand even better, how vienna was dragging my attention", she says in english with a recognizable british accent. Giving a whole interview in german is still giving the creeps to Sheung. Even though she identified a favourite german word: leidenschaft, the willingness to take up with pain to fulfill a strong desire is the motivation for her work.
A survey among austrian about the structure of local culture was not overall satisfying, states Yan.
Way to often she was answered "Schnitzel?"
So she read, visited museums, wathed Michael Haneke's movies and began to get closer to parts of austrian soul.
To combine this with asian culture is the idea of many of her works.
Often the human body, his transformability and fragility are the center of her paintings and performances.
Yan works with dolls and masks. "For me it is about the loss of connection between self-portrait and the own appearance"
She's calling that uncanny.
In the end art is necessarily the expression of own personality. "My art" says Yan "this is me".