Artist Statement
My current painting practice is an abstraction of the humid atmosphere and cultural memory of my hometown, Guangzhou. My artistic foundation lies in documentary photography, where I spent years dissecting constructed identities through self-portraits. That rigorous observation of the self has now evolved into a physical performance on canvas. I realize that my body is not just a subject to be photographed, but a living archive of cultural memory. In Chinese philosophy, ‘Qi’ is not merely energy, but the transformative force that generates all things. My painting channels this dynamic process of becoming, where unseen energy condenses into visible form.
Trained in traditional calligraphy by my father, I use the muscle memory of Chinese characters and physical energy to navigate the chaos of large-scale unstretched canvas. The vibrant reds and oranges in my paintings recall the ritualistic Nianhua (South China New Year prints), festival ceremony, and incense burning during worship, piercing through the foggy, humid greys of the city’s climate. In New York, I seek to capture this specific tension: the collision between the rigid structure of the metropolis and the fluid, spiritual nature of my cultural roots.
我目前的绘画实践，是对我故乡广州那湿热的氛围与文化记忆的抽象表达。我的艺术根基源于纪实摄影，多年的自拍，我致力于解构那些被建构的身份。那种对自我的严谨审视，如今已演变为画布上的一场身体表演。我意识到，我的身体不仅仅是被拍摄的对象，更是一个承载着文化记忆的活体档案库。在中国哲学中，“气”不仅是能量，更是万物化生的转化过程；我的绘画旨在捕捉这种无形的源动力，使其在虚实之间流转、凝结成形。
我曾受教于父亲的传统书法训练。如今，我运用书写汉字时沉淀在肌肉里的记忆与身体的能量，在未经绷框的巨幅画布的混沌中游走探索。我画作中那些充满生命力的红色与橙色，唤醒了充满仪式感的南国年画以及祭祀时的香火和仪式，它们刺破了这座城市气候中那雾气蒙蒙的、潮湿的灰色。而在当下的纽约，我试图捕捉一种特定的张力：这座国际大都会坚硬刚直的结构，与我源自文化根基的、流动的灵性本质之间的碰撞。
______________________
BIO
Yanmei Jiang is a New York-based visual artist born in Guangzhou, China. She works across painting, installation, and photography. She received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York in 2023. Jiang first gained international recognition for her photography series Me and Me, which earned the Taipei Photo New Talent Award and is held in the permanent collections of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation (Germany) and the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum(China).
Transitioning her focus to large-scale abstract painting in 2021, Jiang’s current work bridges traditional Chinese calligraphic discipline with American abstract expressionism. She is known for her “action painting” approach, utilizing her whole body to translate muscle memory and the ritualistic colors of her heritage onto unstretched canvas. Recent highlights include a 2025 solo exhibition at the Chinese American Arts Council/456 Gallery (New York) and a residency at the AnkhLave Arts Alliance on Governors Island.
江演媚 出生于中国广州，现居纽约，是一位跨越绘画、装置和摄影的视觉艺术家。2023年，她获得纽约视觉艺术学院 (SVA) 的纯艺术硕士学位。江演媚早年凭借探讨身份认同的摄影系列《Me and Me》获得国际认可，荣获台北摄影节新人奖，作品被德国亚历山大·图切克基金会及成都当代影像馆永久收藏。 2021年起，她的创作重心转向大尺幅抽象绘画。她当前的作品结合了中国传统书法训练与美国抽象表现主义之间的桥梁。她以充满张力的“行动绘画”方式，将书写的肌肉记忆与故乡的仪式色彩倾注于画布之上。她近期的重要艺术活动包括：2025年在纽约美华艺术协会/456画廊 (456 Gallery) 举办首次个展，以及参与纽约总督岛 AnkhLave 艺术联盟的驻地项目。
_________________________
CV
- EDUCATION
2023 MFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2010 BA in Journalism, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
- RESIDENCIES & PROJECTS
2025 Grand Scale Mural Project, Uptown Grand Central, New York, NY
2025 AnkhLave Residency, Governors Island, New York, NY
2023 ChaShaMa Exhibition Residency, New York, NY
- SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 “A Toe in the Water”, 456 Gallery (Chinese American Arts Council), New York, NY
2017 “Me and Me”, Ray Art Center, Shanghai, China
2016 “Me and Me”, 12th Lianzhou International Photo Festival, Lianzhou, China
- SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 Echoes of Home: Egypt Edition (Off Biennale), Darb 1718, Cairo, Egypt
2025 “Anything Goes”, Bushwick Open Studios, Brooklyn, NY
2025 “Blue Line: A Journey of Reawakening” (Performance), AnkhLave Residency, Governors Island, NY
2025 “The Journey”, Hot Water Cool Art Annual Exhibition, New York, NY
2024 “Welcome to the Wonderland”, CP Project Space, New York, NY
2023 “Playground and Dreams”, ChaShaMa Gallery, New York, NY
2023 “Idylls & Reveries”, VillageOneArt Gallery, New York, NY
2023 “Cement, TaiL of A Gecko”, Temple Gallery & Tutu Gallery, New York, NY
2023 “Echo Box”, Latchkey Gallery, New York, NY
2023 “Stockwell Collective Show”, Boston, MA
2021 “Wild Horses”, Sim Smith Gallery, London, UK
2018 17th DongGang International Photo Festival, DongGang, South Korea
2017 “The Port and the Image”, China Port Museum, Ningbo, China
2017 “La Maison de Z: Made In China”, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles, France
2016 8th Three Shadows Photography Award Exhibition, Three Shadows Art Centre, Beijing, China
2016 8th Fotobook Festival Kassel, Kassel, Germany (traveled to Beijing, China)
2016 Taipei Photo Festival, Taipei, Taiwan China
2015 Xitek EOS New Talent Award Exhibition, Beijing, China
2015 “CONNECT”, LensCulture Network Exhibition (Online)
2015 “@Daily Snapshot”, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China
2013 Volume: Birmingham’s Art, Book, & Print Fair, Birmingham, UK
2013 “From Print to Publishing*, Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester, UK
2012 Times Museum Community Art Festival, Guangdong Times Museum, Guangzhou, China
- AWARDS & HONORS
2016 Emerging Talent Award, Taipei Photo Festival, Taiwan
2016 Shortlist, Dummy Award Kassel, Germany
2016 Shortlist, Three Shadows Photography Award, China
2015 Winner, Xitek EOS New Talent Award, China
- PUBLICATIONS
2021 “ABOUT US: Young Photography in China”, Hirmer Publishers, Munich. ISBN: 978-3-7774-3656-2
2017 “The Port and The Image: Documenting China’s Harbor Cities”, Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House. ISBN: 978-7-5535-0889-4
2017 “Enning” (Self-published photobook with Wenjun Chen)
- COLLECTIONS
Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation, Munich, Germany
Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum, Chengdu, China
- LECTURES & WORKSHOPS
2013 Mentor, Photography Book Workshop, Lishui International Photography Festival, China
2013 Instructor, Handmade Book Workshop, Fei Gallery, Guangzhou, China
2012 Instructor, Self-publishing Book Workshop, Times Museum Community Art Festival, China
- SELECTED PRESS / BIBLIOGRAPHY
2024 CanvasRebel Magazine, “Meet Yanmei Jiang,” Feature Interview.
2022 The Brooklyn Rail, Exhibition Review, New York.
2021 LensCulture, “Feature: Yanmei Jiang’s Photography and Abstract Approach,” Digital Publication.
2020 VICE China, “Artist Interview: Breaking the Boundaries Between Documentary and Abstraction,” Digital Feature.
2018 IMA Magazine (Japan), “Selected New Voices in Contemporary Photography,” Print Publication.
2017 IGNANT (Germany), Feature Presentation of Me and Me Series.
2017 The Eye of Photography (France/USA), “The delicate, handmade photobooks of Wenjun Chen, Yanmei Jiang, and Du Bao Ni”.
2017 Portrait Magazine (人物), “The Gaze of the New Generation: Yanmei Jiang,” Feature Article.
2016 Marie Claire (China), “Art and Identity: Emerging Female Artists,” Feature Interview.
2015 The Paper (澎湃新闻), Feature Profile and Artwork Review.