Shanzhai Lyric is a body of research focusing on radical logistics and linguistics through the prism of technological aberration and nonofficial cultures. The project takes inspiration from the experimental English of shanzhai t-shirts made in China and proliferating across the globe to examine how the language of counterfeit uses mimicry, hybridity, and permutation to both revel in and reveal the artifice of global hierarchies. Through an ever-growing archive of poetry-garments, Shanzhai Lyric explores the potential of mis-translation and nonsense as utopian world-making (breaking) and has previously taken the form of poetry-lecture, essay, and installation.

In the fall of 2020, Shanzhai Lyric founded the fictional office entity Canal Street Research Association.

Currently: Artist-in-residence with Cuchifritos at Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center

Recently: The Weight of Words at Henry Moore Foundation, SIREN (some poetics) at Amant

Recent Press: Profile, Frieze, Review, New York Times, Article, Artforum

Contact: @shanzhai_lyric, shanzhai.lyric@gmail.com

Archivists: Ming Lin, Alex Tatarsky
Site design: Geoff Han
Site development: Eric Li
Researcher: Connie Xu