BIOGRAPHY

Yan Zhang is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist based in Windsor, Ontario, who received her BFA in Art Education from Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in China and will complete her  MFA in Painting from Wayne State University in Detroit in 2022.

Originally specializing in Chinese figure painting, now she blends watercolor, printing, and digital art with her Chinese painting practice and creates her meticulous yet intricate  imagery. Her work aims to explore the transience and vulnerability of human beings, as well asthe surreal nature of the world around us.

Yan has exhibited her work in China, Canada, and the United State at venues including Beijing Art Gallery, Hangzhou World Trade Center, Art Gallery of Toronto, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Scarab Club, Sho Gallery, Buckham Gallery, and Wayne State University. Her  work is held in permanent collections at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto. She currently has work installed at the Senate Binsfeld OfficeBuilding in Michigan.

https://www.yanzhang.ca

ARTIST STATEMENT

I create paintings using traditional materials, ink, and brush on rice paper. These paintings are meticulously rendered, elaborately staged,and illustrative works.  I use dramatic and expressive poses along with symbolism as a vehicle for my personal narratives.

My paintings are inspired by Surrealism. However, unlike the Surrealists, my works are more consciously and deliberately composed. The figure in my paintings work as a universal symbol to illustrate an array of human emotions. It is about struggling and anxiety, but also about resistance and resilience. My works aim to explore something of the transience and vulnerability of human beings, as well as thesurreal nature of the world around us.

My recent works combine figuration and abstraction, aiming to balance freedom of creative process with carefully crafted an image.

I would like my paintings to be a free space where the viewers can make their own connections and form their own interpretations.