江演媚 JIANG, Yanmei → Dance and the Ancestors

Dance and the Ancestors

18 7月 2024

This series of paintings expresses the oppressed energy I’ve carried for years. Growing up and living in China, some traditional ideas and modern society’s requirements for women make me feel a constant sense of oppression.

After moving to the United States, I began to look inward and ask where that feeling came from. Even though many memories were unclear, the weight of them stayed with me. Like many people who leave their home country, I slowly began to let go. Painting became my way to release and balance my inner spirit in the past two years. And I think it heals me.

My work is inspired by Chinese philosophy, calligraphy, and abstract expressionism. I tried to express the inner energy as well as balance the energy between the inner body and the environment. Through this process, I can feel the freedom of energy and color flow, trying to break the mental chains from cultural expectations for women and personal history. I hope my work can also give a healing feeling to people who interact with it.