Artist Statement
I was born in 1972 and am a first-generation Chinese Canadian artist. I received formal training in fine arts and later worked in landscape design for more than two decades. After immigrating to Canada in 2017, I gradually devoted myself fully to my artistic practice.
Nature has always been the central source of my work. My long career in landscape design has also given me extensive experience in observing nature and reshaping environments. Plants, birds, and various living beings observed in the natural environment form the fundamental elements of my imagery. I recombine these forms drawn from real ecological environments to create painted scenes with an internal order.
Through long-term observation of nature, I gradually became attentive to the different stages of life: emergence, flourishing, decline, and renewal. These processes allow time to appear in a slow and tangible way. Continuous observation and recording also transform the act of looking from an initial gaze toward the outward appearance of nature into a more inward form of understanding. In this process, nature is no longer merely an object to be depicted, but becomes a carrier of emotions and a means through which to understand time, life, and the experience of existence.
My work is primarily created using the traditional Chinese gongbi technique. This is a painting method that requires great patience, precision, and concentration. For me, this technique is not only a continuation of cultural tradition, but also a way of deliberately slowing down the process of creation. In an era in which speed and image consumption are constantly accelerating, the slow and meticulous process of gongbi painting itself forms a quiet and sustained resistance. Through restrained and delicate lines and layers of accumulated color, images gradually emerge through prolonged drawing, allowing the act of viewing to return to patience, focus, and deeper perception.
In my work, plants, birds, and various natural forms appear repeatedly across different series. These elements are not fixed symbols, but visual traces that record the passage of time and the changes of life. They are a condensation of visual experience and emotional perception formed through long observation of the rhythms of natural life. My compositions often maintain a subtle balance between structure and openness, allowing perception to move slowly between order and uncertainty.
Through these works, I attempt to explore the passage of time, the cycles of life, experiences of migration and belonging, and the spiritual healing brought by natural life. In a highly accelerated era, my work proposes another way of seeing the world—one grounded in patience, intimacy, and the slow flow of time.
CV
Education
—Tsinghua University, Academy of Arts & Design, China
Advanced Seminar in Gongbi Painting, completed 2015
—Tongji University, China
Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Management, completed 2006
—Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing , China
Diploma in Fine Arts, completed 1991
Solo Exhibitions
2025 — A Garden of My Own,
Markham Varley Art Gallery, Markham, Canada
2023 —The Mind’s Garden,
Newcastle Contemporary Art, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
2024 / 2020 — Artist Project, Toronto, Canada
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 — Art Toronto, with SSEW Project, Toronto, Canada
2024 — Art Toronto, with SSEW Project, Toronto, Canada
2019 — Wisdom Trees Planted in Heart, Lin Sanzhi Art Museum; Jiangsu Grand Theatre, Nanjing, China
2018 — National Gongbi Painting Biennale, Xiamen, China
2017 — European Traveling Exhibition for Modern Artists from Jiangsu, The Hague; London; Madrid
Awards & Grants
2026 — Longlisted, Jackson’s Art Prize, UK
2025 — Ontario Arts Council Travel Grant, Canada
2025 — Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant, Canada
2024 — Ontario Arts Council Exhibition Assistance Grant, Canada
2024 — Adachi Contemporary Ukiyo-e Award, First Prize, Tokyo, Japan
2018 — National Gongbi Painting Biennale, First Prize, Xiamen, China
Public Collections
Royal Ontario Museum, Canada (2025)