Spotlight Artist

Xuanlin Ye

MFA Annual
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement


I task myself with finding a new genre of visual expression that is representative of the contemporary Asian geopolitical psyche without the influence of Western stereotypes. One main strand of my work includes taking the imagery of traditional Asian tropes and questioning it in a humorous or insouciant way through the physical manipulation of paint. The second strand involves extensive research comparing contemporary popular images that relate to both classical Chinese culture and paintings. I believe classical Chinese culture and art were formed in a particular state of consciousness that brings us a unique aesthetic experience that, in essence, is also a philosophical state of being. I attempt to use the representations of this classical sensibility to create images that generate moments of absorption wherein we can reflect on our shared state of being.

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