Within the "3+X" exhibition pattern, promoted by Shaheen Merali,[4] Jin Weihong, Ai Weiwei and Shen Qibin, Yuan has exhibited with artists such as Jin Feng, Qiu Zhijie, Xu Zhen, Zuoxiao Zuzhou, Xi Jianjun, the Gao Brothers and Zhao Zhao.
In 2006 he launched the New Power China Biennale as a curator in order to promote young emerging Chinese artists.
After the 2008 Tibetan unrest (also known as"3.14 riots") he created China Size, an installation-performance using a 3.14 scale, shown at the 4th Songzhuang Art Festival.
Since 2011 and his artwork the Scented Air 6000 m3 presented at the China Pavilion of the 54th Venice Biennale,[7] Yuan uses fog media to pervade the exhibition space or to interfere with people.
[8][9] In his new productions, he has developed a variety of devices and different mechanisms to produce fog, invading public spaces and disrupting the established order (The Stroll, 2012; Air Strikes around the world, 2013).