“As an artist migrating from China to North America, both my identity and my work pass through the complex filters of different countries, languages, and cultural expectations. Choosing the right material for my work is like choosing the right word. I believe that materials can speak. Choosing my materials is like choosing the right words from my intertwined Chinese and English vocabularies to express my thoughts.” -Xiaojing Yan
Xiaojing Yan’s Bridge is comprised of 1,364 intricately installed spoons that appear caught in a moment, suspended between two worlds. The Chinese ceramic spoons carry with them a certain cultural specificity but are also broadly suggestive of familiar sensory experiences, like eating soup. Humble yet strikingly beautiful, Bridge is a careful and accessible articulation of transmigration.
Xiaojing Yan is a Chinese-Canadian artist living in Toronto. She received her M.F.A on Sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, USA and B.F.A from Nanjing Arts Institution, China. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces in China, Canada and United States. Her solo exhibition New Growth will be exhibited at Glenhyrst Gallery of Brant in 2011.
Yan’s works has been published on many magazines, newspapers and books internationally including most recently Sculpture Magazine, Taiwan International Forum and Now Magazine. She is the recipient of numerous grants including most recently CAA(College of Art Association) Travel Grant, Project Grant from Toronto Arts Council, Exhibition Assistant Grant from Ontario Arts Council and Project Grant from Canada Council for the Arts.
This project is supported by the Ontario Arts Council.
Check out our recent coverage in the Arthur here:
Bridge, or 1,364 reasons not to suspend your curiosity
