Dancing On My Own
By Simon Wu
Published by HarperCollins
New York, 2024

Simon Wu’s Dancing on My Own is a personal journey through culture, family, relationships, and queerness. Inspired by Swedish pop singer Robyn’s eponymous song, this genre-defying work takes unexpected detours through contemporary America, as well as from places further afield, weaving heady late-night encounters with reflections on the state of contemporary art, identity, and politics. 

In the opening chapter, “A Model Childhood,” Wu reflects on the act of hoarding as well as his memories and recollections of his parents and friends. This is followed by an essay on the artist Ken Okiishi’s background and practice, specifically Okiishi’s 2018 exhibition at Reena Spaulings Fine Art in Los Angeles, which showcased his archives from 1978 to 2001. Throughout the text, Wu vacillates between Okiishi’s artworks and various moments in his own life, looking for connections, until he met the artist in person later in New York.