Yuying Song ARTICUL CTION A C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t R e v i e w Special Issue exhibits and architecture of different periods attract me to explore the history and stories behind it and get inspiration from it. Your artistic practice is deeply engaged withsocial commentaryand the need to raise social awareness. Many contemporary artists, such as Thomas Hirschhorn and Michael Light, use to include socio-political criticism and sometimes even convey explicit messages in their artworks: do you think that artists can raise awareness to an evergrowing audience on topical issues that affect our globalised and unstable society? And how do you considerthe role of artists in the contemporary age? Yuying Song: Yes. they can . I agree with this view. I believe that artists and society interact and influence each other. Both the artist and his work reflect some extent the social characteristics of the time in which he lives, and his creations are influenced by the reality of society, while the artists' works also have an impact on the viewers' thoughts and aesthetics.They express social issues through their artworks, which in my opinion is positive and brave. The world we live in is not perfect, of course, not only artists, but each of us should be brave enough to express and explore complex social issues for the world to become a better place. It's important to mention that you created