FRAGILITY
Yuqi Fan
United States

To me, “Fragility” emerges in the dynamics of attachment, the way we rely on objects to express ourselves, cherish lost ones, and soothe insecurities. Through jewelry and wearable objects, I explore how these attachments reveal the delicate balance between resilience and vulnerability in human nature. In my work, fragility resides in the delicate relationships between people and the objects they hold dear.
Inspired by the subculture of doll-keeping, I explore how attachment to dolls can compensate for loneliness, offer alternative forms of belonging, and transform inanimate objects into vessels of emotion, memory, and identity. Employing jewelry as a medium to express this attachment, my works reflect a desire for connection in an increasingly detached world.
Through forms that invite touching and handling, my works require care and intimate exchange between wearer and object. The interactions reveal a vulnerability of dependence: we project desires of intimacy onto what cannot respond, yet find comfort in its quiet presence. The jewelry’s fragility is not only physical, but psychological. It expresses a need for tenderness and vulnerability in a world that demands resilience.
Inspired by the subculture of doll-keeping, I explore how attachment to dolls can compensate for loneliness, offer alternative forms of belonging, and transform inanimate objects into vessels of emotion, memory, and identity. Employing jewelry as a medium to express this attachment, my works reflect a desire for connection in an increasingly detached world.
Through forms that invite touching and handling, my works require care and intimate exchange between wearer and object. The interactions reveal a vulnerability of dependence: we project desires of intimacy onto what cannot respond, yet find comfort in its quiet presence. The jewelry’s fragility is not only physical, but psychological. It expresses a need for tenderness and vulnerability in a world that demands resilience.


