BIO+CV
11 5月 2023

BIO

My name is Yanmei Jiang. I am from Guangzhou, China. I graduated with a Master’s in Fine Arts from SVA and am now based in New York. My media are photography, painting, and installation. Art is my way of healing and expressing love for life.

I use art to reach my spiritual freedom. Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, I was taught that boys were valued more than girls. I often hid my true self and worked hard to make everyone around me happy, hoping to earn love and approval. Over time, the weight of these expectations left me feeling oppressed and longing for freedom and visibility. 

I was a photographer before. My early work Me and Me, an eight-year exploration through photography, focused on self-discovery in relationships. Through performance photography in this work, I tried to blur the lines between masculine and feminine, hoping to show the beauty and strength of women both inside and out.  Me and Me opened a door for me to enter the art world. It has received some Awards, such as the 2016 Taipei Photo New Talent Award, and the 2015 Xiteck EOS New Talent Award in China. It was also the finalist of the Three Shadows Photography Award 2016 and the Dummy Award Kassel 2016. In 2020,  Me and Me was collected by the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation in Germany and the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum in China. In 2021, it was included in the book “ABOUT US. Young Photography in China” published by Hirmer Publishers. My art has been shown in group exhibitions in France, Denmark, Japan, China, the United States, England, and more. It also has been published in media such as IMA Magazine, Lens Culture, Tencent, VICE China, etc.

As I continued searching for ways to express the restless energy inside me, I found painting and installation. In 2021, I was having my Master’s in Fine Arts at SVA in New York City. I started painting and am crazy about it. I knew it was my art way by heart even though I was clumsy initially. I wanted to become a painter when I was a child. Drawing inspiration from Eastern culture, these mediums have allowed me to transfer energy into art directly. The process of self-exploring and expression let me understand more about myself and life. I hope my art not only releases me but also gives inspiration to the audiences who interact with it. 

I like to use everyday objects to arouse people’s intimate feelings. The Softness in the Eyes is my first painting series. It is about subtle details in intimate relationships in memory. By withdrawing everyday things from close relationships, I try to capture the intimacy between people. My installation artwork Breathing Heart is made by an express bag and box. This express bag can inhale and exhale like the deep breaths of a human. The inspiration for this work comes from my daily subway commute. Looking at the silent people on the subway, I feel that living in a super big city is stressful and we need to take a breath. I was lucky enough to have my paintings exhibited in New York, but I am still struggling to develop my art here.

Now, my ongoing painting series Untitled is about natural energy, body movement, and healing. Drawing inspiration from Eastern philosophy and influenced by Western art, I use color and body movement to externalize emotions in paintings, creating works that resonate with the healing energy I experience in the environment and daily life.

CV

Education

  • 2021-2023, Master of Fine Arts, School of Visual Arts, New York, USA
  • 2006-2010, Bachelor of International Journalism, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China

Awards and Honors

  • 2023, ChaShaMa residency, New York City, USA
  • 2016, Taipei Photo New Talent Award, Taiwan China.
  • 2016, Dummy Award Kassel, Shortlist, Germany.
  • 2016, Three Shadows Photography Award, Shortlist, China.
  • 2015, Xitek EOS New Talent Award, China.

Collections

  • 2020, Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung Foundation, Germany.
  • 2020, Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum, China.

Exhibitions

  • 2024, Group Exhibition, Art Groove Art Show, New York, USA
  • 2024, Group Exhibition, Welcome to the Wonderland, CP Project Space, New York, USA
  • 2023, Group Exhibition, Playground and Dreams, ChaShaMa Gallery, New York, USA
  • 2023, Group Exhibition, Idylls & Reveries, VillageOneArt Gallery, New York, USA
  • 2023, Group Exhibition, Cement, TaiL of A Gecko, Temple Gallery & Tutu Gallery, New York, USA.
  • 2023, Group Exhibition, Echo Box, Latchkey Gallery, New York, USA.
  • 2023, Group Exhibition, Stockwell Collective, Boston, USA.
  • 2021, Group Exhibition, Wild Horses’, Sim Smith Gallery, London, English.
  • 2018, Group Exhibition, 17th DongGang International Photo Festival, DongGang, Korea.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, Les Rencontres De La Photographie, Arles, France.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, LensCulture Winter Exhibition, online.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, Photography Handmade Book, Lishui Photography Festival, Lishui, China.
  • 2017, Solo Exhibition, Me and Me, Ray Art Center, Shanghai, China.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, The Port and the Image Project: Documenting China’s Harbor Cities, China Port Museum, China.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, 2nd Ningbo International Photography Week, Ningbo, China.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, La Maison de Z “Made In China”, Arles, France.
  • 2017, Group Exhibition, Record Keeping-Invitation Exhibition of International Photography at Xi’an, Xi’an, China.
  • 2016, Shanghai Photofair, Shanghai, China.
  • 2016, Group Exhibition, Lianzhou Foto Festival, Lianzhou, China.
  • 2016, Group Exhibition, Taipei Photo Festival, Taipei, Taiwan China.
  • 2016, Group Exhibition, Xitek New Talent Award, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, China.
  • 2016, Group Exhibition, The 8th Fotobook Festival Kassel, Germany / Beijing, China.Fotoleggendo, Rome, Italy; PhotoIreland, Dublin, Ireland; Fotogalleriet, Oslo, Norway; Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, Croatia; Month of Photography Festival, Bratislava, Slovakia; Encontros da Imagem, Braga, Portugal; Photobook Week, Aarhus, Denmark; Format Festival, Derby, UK.
  • 2016, Group Exhibition, Three Shadows Photography Award, Beijing/Xiamen, China.
  • 2015, Group Exhibition, Gucang Dummy Award Martin Parr Edition, Lanzhou Foto Festival, Lanzhou, China.
  • 2015, Group Exhibition, CONNECT: A Curated Group Exhibition of LensCulture Network Photographers.
  • 2015, Group Exhibition, Lishui Photography Festival, Lishui, China.
  • 2015, @Daily Snapshot, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China.
  • 2013, Group Exhibition, En Ning, The Fence, Volume: Birmingham’s Art, Book, & Print Fair, Birmingham, UK.
  • 2013, Group Exhibition, Lishui Photography Festival, Lishui, China.
  • 2013, Group Exhibition, From Print to Publishing: The Changing Role of the Book in China and the UK, Chinese Arts Center, Manchester, UK.
  • 2012, Group Exhibition, Times Museum Community Art Festival, Guangzhou, China.
  • 2012, Group Exhibition, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, Japan.
  • 2012, Group Exhibition, Caochangdi Photo Spring, Beijing, China.

Publications

  • Book: ABOUT US. Young Photography in China
  • The Port and The Image: Documenting China’s Harbor Cities | Publication

Publish

IMA Magazine, Lens Culture, Tencent·To Live, Artco China Magazine, Chip Foto Video Magazine, Citizine Magazine, New Weekly Magazine, Marie Claire the Magazine, Chinese Entrepreneur Magazine, Economic Weekly Magazine, Blog Weekly Magazine, CBN Weekly Magazine, Portrait Magazine, South Reviews Magazine, People‘s Photography, VICE China, Yogurt Magazine, Edge of Humanity Magazine, Tencent News, Netease News, Sina News, Artron Network, The Paper Network, China Photographers Association Network and other publications.

Workshops:

2013, One of the mentors of a photography book workshop, Lishui International Photography Festival, Lishui, China.

2013, Held a handmade book workshop, at Fei Gallery, Guangzhou, China.

2012, Held a Self-publishing book workshop, Times Museum Community Art Festival, Guangzhou, China.

Talks:

2016, Me in Private Images—From Life Struggles to Social Realities, Ray Art Center, Shanghai, China.

Shows

Group show, Art Groove, New York, US, 2024

ChaShaMa Residency, a group show Playground and Dreams at ChaShaMa Gallery, New York, US, 2023. ↓

Group shows Idylls & Reveries, VillageOneArt Gallery, New York, US, 2023. ↓

Group shows Echo Box, Latchkey Gallery, New York, USA, 2023.↓

Group show, Wild Horse, SIM-SMITH Gallery, London, England, 2021

Group show, Donggang International Photo Festival, Donggang, Korea, 2018

Group show, The Port and The Image: Documenting China’s Harbor Cities, China Port Museum, Ningbo, China, 2017

Group show, Taipei Photo New Talent Award, Taipei, 2016

Group show, XITEK New Talent Award exhibition, Shanghai, China, 2016

Group show, Three Shadow Photography Award, Three Shadow Art Center, Beijing, China, 2016

Solo show, Me and Me, Ray Art Center, Shanghai, China, 2016