ABOUT Christina
Christina Yao is a China-born, Calgary-based artist working primarily in photography, video, and installation. Drawing from her experiences living and working across the U.S., Colombia, and Canada, she explores themes of relationships, identity, and place through a cross-cultural lens. Yao holds a Bachelor of Design in Photography (with Distinction) from the Alberta University of the Arts (2024). She was selected as a 2025 Critical Mass Top 200 finalist, a finalist in the 2024 LensCulture Portrait Awards, and was featured in the Emerging Photographers Showcase at the 2024 Exposure Alberta Photo Festival. Her work has been exhibited at Sotheby's Institute of Art (New York), ASC Studio (London, UK), Contemporary Calgary, The Marion Nicoll Gallery, TRUCK Contemporary Art, Stride Gallery, cSPACE, The Bows, and Arts Commons.
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EDUCATION
2018-2023, Bachelor of Design in Photography (with Distinction), Alberta University of The Arts, Calgary, Canada
SOLO EXHIBITION
2025 Real to Me, Stride Gallery, Calgary, Canada
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (Selected)
2025 Wonder Photography Exhibition hosted by Brookfield Properties, Bankers Hall, Calgary, Canada
handle with care, The Bows Studios, Calgary, Canada
Vantage Point, CAA113 SAC Photography Exhibition, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York City, US
2024 Shutter Hub Exhibition: YEARBOOK AWARDS 2024, UK
Trial and Error - a Work Show Grow exhibition, ASC Studios, London, UK
Grad Show 2024 of Alberta University of the Arts, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, Canada
Emerging Photographers Showcase Exhibition-Exposure Alberta’s Photography Festival, Contemporary Calgary, Calgary, Canada
2023 RBC Emerging Visual Artists Program Exhibition, Arts Commons, Calgary, Canada
What did you dream about last night?, The Bows, Calgary, Canada
AUArts Gallery Crawl, The Creig Gallery, Calgary, Canada
Inter(connected), AUArtsSA HEAR/D Residency Exhibition, cSpace, Calgary, Canada
Lok Jyun (Parádeisos), TRUCK Contemporary Art, Calgary, Canada
Inter(connected), AUArtsSA HEAR/D Residency Exhibition, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
Rewinding the Tape Vol. II-Exposure Alberta’s Photography Festival, Marion Nicoll Gallery, Calgary, Canada
AUArts Photo 23 Open Call-Exposure Alberta’s Photography Festival, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
Mango-Exposure Alberta’s Photography Festival, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
2022 The Raven, The Creig Gallery, Calgary, Canada
Work Show Grow Outdoor Exhibition, Arles, France
Dis. Connect, Summer Camp-BIPOC Art Residency Exhibition, Marion Nicoll Gallery, Calgary, Canada
11th Annual President´s Student Art, Craft & Design Exhibition, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
2022 AUArts Photography Print Showcase-Exposure Alberta’s Photography Festival, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
2020 10th Annual President´s Student Art, Craft & Design Exhibition, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
2019 AUArts SA Fall Show + Sale, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
CURATION
2023 INTERIOR/ PERIPHERY, The New Gallery, Calgary, Canada
RESIDENCIES
2025 Studio Residency, Stride Gallery, Calgary, Canada
2023 Work Show Grow Summer Residency, Margate, UK
2022 HEAR/D Residency, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada
AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
2025 Critical Mass Top 200 finalist 2025
2024 Finalist of the LensCulture Portrait Awards 2024, Netherlands
2023 2023 Artist Development Microgrant, Calgary Arts Development, Canada
Teatro Group Travel Scholarship, Teatro Group, Canada
2022 AUArts Travel Scholarship, Alberta University of The Arts, Canada
2021 Self-Directed Research Scholarship, Alberta University of The Arts, Canada
The M. James and Elsie Mathieson Scholarship, Alberta University of The Arts, Canada
