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.