江演媚 JIANG, Yanmei → Dance and the Ancestors

Dance and the Ancestors

18 7月 2024

This series of paintings expresses a deep, suppressed energy I’ve carried for many years. Growing up in a traditional Chinese family and living within the expectations of marriage, I often felt a quiet but constant sense of oppression. Trying to become an excellent woman, these suppressed emotions kept building up inside me until they became a strong force that needed to be released.

After moving to the United States, I began to look inward and ask where that feeling came from. Even though many memories were unclear, the weight of them stayed with me. Like many people who leave their home country, I slowly began to let go. Painting became my way to release what had been buried in the past two years.

Painting is a new medium for me. In my work, I combine Chinese calligraphy with abstract expression to explore and express the hidden energy within my body. Through this process, I’m trying to break the chains from cultural expectations and personal history. As a woman, this practice is also about finding my voice and reclaiming my space. Each piece is a step in the journey of letting go, healing and becoming stronger.