In my practice I reflect on living in China and Europe during a transitional time. I paint the memories embedded in locations, like the embroidery hanging in my grandparent’s living room, the collared crow from Mount Yuelu. Through works like the painting ‘Dutch Sky’, the film ‘Middel Polder’ I encapsulate the experiences of my life in the Netherlands. I portray the unpolished moments of individuals, by painting WeChat screenshots of my families and friends during our video calls. Diverging from the glossy aesthetics of social media photos, they look beyond the constructed narrative of a digital age.
I like strolling on the polders in the Netherlands, under the Dutch sky, pondering my nomadic life. The unobstructed fields unfold, clean and geometric, like the Dutch modern urban planning, rational and neat. Here I get a glimpse of the Dutch mentality shaped by their long relationship with water. In the summer, the sky is clear and high, breezes comb my thoughts, farm animals graze, seagulls soar. And in the winter, long nights prevail, wind howls, clouds hang low, the earth falls into a quiet repose.
I find solace in wandering the old streets of my hometown, Changsha, where people chat, hawk goods, and scooters weave through. Alleys intertwine with the aroma of food, bustling with local life. In the morning, I go grocery shopping with my grandma, imagining my life as one of theirs. As night falls and the city lights come on, a synchronized light show fully covering skyscrapers illuminates Changsha. I walk along the the Xiang River, watching the symphony of lights lining its shores.
Living in the Netherlands, feels like being in a glass jar, isolated from the outside world by an invisible barrier. I struggle with the fear of being labeled solely based on my Chinese background, unable to express myself freely. This sense of alienation stems from a lack of understanding between China and the Netherlands, both sides lack awareness of each other's current realities.
Now visiting Changsha for the first time in three years, I feel inadequate amidst the dramatically evolved cityscape and the contrast between my nomadic lifestyle and my old friends' wealth and stability. Teenage feelings of powerlessness and resignation resurface, together with a strong urge to find my own identity, independent of my peers.
I thoroughly enjoy the sensation of transitioning from one world to another, which allows me to keenly capture my surroundings. Meanwhile, being a wanderer between dual realities exposes me to a multitude of challenging experiences and conflicts in values. These encounters find their way into my artwork, revealing a complex, contradictory, and diverse world.
I am currently represented by Josilda da conceição Gallery.
Education:
Diploma in Product and Experience Design,
Singapore Polytechnic, 2013
B.A. in Fine Arts,
Gerrit Rietveld Academie, 2020
Erasmus exchange at Figurative Painting Department,
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, 2017. 10. – 2018. 3.
Exhibitions:
2020 - Graduation show, Gerit Rietveld Academie
- Best of Graduates 2020, Galerie Ron Mandos
2021 - Jong Talent 2020, Artphy
- Temporal Space, Josilda Da Conceicao Gallery
- B.BASE: 3-day expo, performance, conversations, 4bid Gallery
- F1 - Flag Show, Trixie
2022 - Celebração, Josilda Da Conceicao Gallery
- Art Rotterdam, with Josilda Da Conceicao Gallery
- Artist residency at Lek Art Culemborg
- First Studies in Virology - Designing a New Disease, punt WG
- Untitled 2 - Josilda Da Conceicao Gallery
2023 - Gaze of the Whispers, SinArts Gallery
- An Evening at the Factory & Nacht van de Film, De Gelderlandfabriek
- A Hook’s Eye, Kunst Rai, Amsterdam
- Springboard Board Art Fair, Werkspoorkathedraal, Utrecht
2024 - Art Rotterdam, Josilda Da Conceicao Gallery, 'Best of Graduates Legacy' Galerie Ron Mandos, Rotterdam
Residency, Stipend and Award
2020 - Nominated for Young Blood Award, Ron MandosYoung Blood Foundation, Amsterdam
2022 - Artist residency at LekArt, Culemborg
2023 - Finalist, Royal Award For Modern Painting, Amsterdam
- Mondriaan Kunstenaar Start
Articles
2021 - ‘Temporal Space: een douchekop, worsten en activistische mayonaise’, Het Parool