Yixin Ran

The World is a Huge Shabby Crew–Into FAKETOPIA (2025) is a manifestation of my belief that local cultures, particularly those marginalized by global capitalism, hold immense creative potential. Through this project, I seek to reclaim Fake Culture as a legitimate and subversive force that resists the hegemonic ideologies of the West. By constructing an immersive, speculative world — Faketopia — I invite audiences to engage with a new epistemological framework, and participate in my world to fully understand the essence of fake culture-one that challenges traditional notions of authenticity, originality, and intellectual property, etc. The work is a celebration of the creative power embedded in grassroots cultural practices, offering a space where the boundaries between the real and the fake are blurred, and where imagination becomes a tool for decolonization within indigenous arts context. Through this project, I hope to contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the potential of local cultures to reshape global power structures and offer alternative narratives that transcend colonial and capitalist frameworks, serving as a new method of indigenous cultural practice that can bridge the gap between different cultural backgrounds.