Sichuan, 1988

Born in Sichuan, China, and currently residing in New York, Yanyan Huang derives influences from a range of Classical and ancient cultures that map out an elaborate mythology of geographies, identities, and interdependent relationships within her own autobiography as well as the natural world.

Her paintings decontextualize and synthesize elements of calligraphic strokes with automatic gestural mark-making, echoing devotional ornamentation. Sensuous and poetic, these labyrinthian explosions of colors stem from outpourings of emotion, shaped into garden paths of inner psychic landscapes.

Much in the manner of polyphonic musical compositions, strokes of color soar around the canvas as they induce the viewer into a hypnotic abyss. Her canvases delve into the nature of memory through layered arabesque gestures that give impressions of atmospheric tones while yielding a distinctive vocabulary of airy, colorful washes. The overarching flow and movement, akin to voluptuous balletic performance, conjure compositions that personify tenets of baroque tradition, ancient mythological narratives, and allusions to Chinese landscape and calligraphy.

Recent solo shows have been presented at Bank, Shanghai; Jelato Love, Palma de Mallorca; Hongkun Museum of Fine Arts, Beijing; Salt Project, Beijing; Ibid, Los Angeles and London; Tomorrow Gallery, New York; and CURA, Rome.

In 2022, Dellupi Arte presented the painting cycle Il Silenzio del Tempo, a group of large canvases with a harmonious and delicate composition created by the artist during a stay on the island of Favignana.
Huang’s works can be found in major collections worldwide.