Tianjiao Wang is interested in acknowledging the presence of things. Through photographing and filming, she anticipates drawing others closer, while simultaneously keeping them perpetually within the realm of the other—without crossing boundaries, without encroachment, without fusion. Tianjiao is intrigued by the nature of the medium, recognizing that the camera always acts as an intermediary, maintaining a physical distance between her and the subject. She believes the camera can achieve a non-violent gaze by catalyzing the absorption of things as they are and acknowledging the presence of captured images. She seeks to understand how to avoid exploitation and allow things to become themselves.
Tianjiao received her MFA in Visual Arts from the University of Chicago in 2024 and her B.S. in mathematics from the Pennsylvania State University in 2020.