Guangdong young painter Zhuang Yan's solo exhibition entitled "The Visible Landscape" will be held at the Kui Yuan Gallery in Guangzhou between October 24th and November 16th, 2020.

Partial Irrigation / Oil on canvas 80cm×120cm 2016 (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

Born in Chaozhou in 1991, Zhuang Yan graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and received the bachelor's degree in 2014. She received her master's degree from the same college in 2018. Zhuang is a member of the Chaozhou Artists Association of Guangdong Province and teaching in the Attached High School of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts currently.

According to Patricia Tingchen Li, the curator of the exhibition, artist Zhuang Yan brings forth a realist vision that seeks no suggested position yet manages to capture the most romanticized temperament of contemporary living.

Zhuang Yan (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

"Like many of her fellow realist painters, Zhuang Yan pays special attention to the common people, featuring their expressions and actions in scenes hardly noticed under usual circumstances," Patricia said in the preface of the exhibition.

In "Orange Picking" and "Year of Red", two "behind the scene" paintings of Chinese New Year celebrations, Zhuang Yan depicts one figure in the uninteresting act of discarding a holiday orange plant and the other minding the endless and repetitive ignition of firecrackers. Though being placed off center in the composition, focusing on each of their uneventful tasks, the two somewhat oddly chosen acts catch the eye with their unexplained proactiveness and relentless persistence.

Orange Picking / Oil on canvas 80×120cm 2018 (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

The leading role in Zhuang Yan's works is not necessarily human. Her interest in physical objects is a unique part of her realist vision. In "Partial Irrigation", the pictorial narrative consists of only the irrigation system, a shallow puddle, and trees awaiting to be watered. No signs of human intervention is found, and yet the silent drama of negotiation, struggle, and compromise goes on and on to maintain the fragile balance.

Want to know more about the artist and enjoy her artworks? Come visit the exhibition for free at the beautiful art gallery Kui Yuan in Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou.

A poster of the exhibition. (Photo provided to Newsgd.com)

|Exhibition Info|

Duration: 2020. 10. 24 — 2020. 11. 16

Open Hours: 11:00 - 18:00

Venue: Kui Yuan Gallery, No.9, Xuguyuan Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou (广州市越秀区恤孤院路9号 逵园艺术馆)

Nearest metro station: Dongshankou Station, Line 1 or 6 (use Exit E or F)