‘It’s about listening to what’s already there.’

“I’ve always been interested in how we communicate beyond words,” says Gao. Trained in dance, she does not see movement as a universal language, but as something deeply concrete, shaped by the specific context.

“Meaning arises from where you are. Language shapes us – and movement shapes us in a similar way to language, shaped by the things that brought us to that place.”

Growing up in Ticino, the visible sense of being different, sharpened her perception from an early age. “You quickly learn how visible or invisible you are,” she says. “Sometimes you make yourself small. Sometimes you exaggerate yourself in response. Both are strategies.” Without dramatising these experiences, Gao speaks about them with calm precision. “There isn’t one big moment. It’s everyday life. The look. The remarks.”

This sensitivity later became the breeding ground for collective work. “When you share lived experiences, you don’t start from scratch,” she says. “You don’t have to explain yourself first.” For Gao, collaboration is less about negotiating identities than about finding common starting points.

Over time, her artistic practice has shifted from movement to sound. “Sometimes something arises from an inner urge. It is then almost impossible to stop it.” The real challenge lies in shaping this impulse in such a way that it becomes shareable. “It must remain open – so that others can step inside.”

Live performance remains central to this. “I don’t feel as though I’m producing something on my own,” says Gao. “It’s more a matter of tuning into a frequency. The moment is created by the people, the space, the light, the sound. I am part of this channel.”

This approach also shapes her work with film and live soundtracks. “Sound can completely change how an image is interpreted,” she says. “You serve the image – and comment on it at the same time.” This responsibility is particularly palpable when working with historical material. “Music can contextualise. It can make time tangible.”

When I ask her when she knew she wanted to be an artist, Gao pauses. “It took me a while to call myself that. I come from a background where art is seen as work – as a craft.” What has always been there, however, is questioning. “Sometimes it’s a curse,” she says with a smile, “but it’s also a gateway. Anyone who creates art must question the world.”

For Gao, art is not about answers. “It’s about attention,” she says. “It’s about listening to what is already there.”

About Fhunyue Gao

Fhunyue Gao works at the intersection of dance, music, theatre, film, gastronomy and cultural event organisation. Since 2010, she has been developing solo and collaborative projects in Switzerland and Europe. Musically, she moves between pop, electronic music and spoken word, accompanied by the theremin and the Buchla synthesiser as her long-standing companions. She is currently touring with her solo project YUE 月G and has been composing music for theatre and film since 2016. Her soundtrack for Colostrum by Sayaka Mizuno premiered at Visions du Réel in 2025. Since 2016, she has co-directed the performance company RobinRobin with Annalena Fröhlich, works in the music duos Junee with Zoé Sjollema and Gao Kacirek with Sven Kacirek, and is a founding member of the activist collective FAAB G (Feminist Asian Antiracist Band Geneva).