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Installation view of Yuan Fang: Flux, at Long Museum, Shanghai, January to March 2024 © Yuan Fang


AAN: Looking at your work over the last few years, it seems the way you handle the colour distribution is much straighter forward. What are your thoughts? YF: Beyond the interaction with each layer and the composition itself, the rest of the paintings are busy or chaotic enough that I do not need too much colour. I believe reducing my colour palette can make the rest of the painting much stronger. Te same applies when it comes to its shapes, for example. One also needs to keep in mind that I only started painting around 2017-18, and my work involved a lot of experimentation as a student, followed by changes and breakthroughs over time.


AAN: You indicated that you recently started working in oil. How did the transition from acrylic to oil take place? YF: It is a natural transition because, in my mind, oil is much more visceral as a medium. It feels much creamier than acrylic. When I first started painting, I did not have that much money or space. I basically needed something like acrylic that was quick and convenient. However, I have been using this medium repeatedly, and after relying on it for a few years, I needed a transition and a change. Last summer, I tried working with oil, and since then I have been enjoying it, feeling very comfortable with it.


AAN: How do you go about entitling of your works? YF: I draw inspiration for my titles from everywhere and anywhere. Sometimes I use a song I like as a title, and sometimes, when I start painting, I have a plan for a composition. On other occasions, I just use an original image, without knowing how to title it. Te painting River Cutting in Half refers to the fact that I was trying to depict a river, but it ended up being a broken river. I do not know if it looks like a river at all, but I kept the title since that was how I started the piece.


AAN: With so many layers in your painting, do you rework the piece? Is it difficult to determine when a painting is finished? YF: I do not really paint over, but I add to it. Usually, the painting will not be finished until the day before the handlers come to pick up the work.


AAN: What drives your practice forward?


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Installation view, detail, of Yuan Fang: Flux, at Long Museum, Shanghai, January to March 2024 © Yuan Fang


YF: Tere are two kinds of paintings for me. One is about fixing something to make it the perfect painting that I envision in my mind. Ten, there is another type of painting, where I accidentally did something new, and this is the kind of work that is truly helping me to improve my practice.


AAN: Growing up in China, were you familiar with the first wave of Chinese contemporary artists that became successful abroad, such as Chen Zhen, Huang Yongping, Yan Pei-Ming, Wang Keping, Zhang Huan, and Fang Lijun? YF: No. Te first time I started learning about Chinese contemporary art was in New York! Within my art history curriculum at the SVA, there was also a session on Chinese contemporary art. Even though the class was disappointing, it nevertheless made me aware of contemporary art in China. I began to follow shows in New York, like Jia Aili (b 1979) at Gagosian, or the one at the Guggenheim a few years ago – Art and China after 1989: Teatre of the World, 2017-18. Tis is basically how I learned about Chinese contemporary art, by going to exhibitions, which is ironic in some ways since I had never heard of these artists while I was living in China.


AAN: Were you more familiar with traditional Chinese calligraphy than the country’s contemporary artists? YF: No, not at all. If you put a masterpiece next to something that is worth nothing, I could not tell the difference!


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AAN: Your first museum solo show took place in 2024 at the Long Museum in Shanghai. Is it important for you to contribute in some way to contemporary art in China? YF: When I moved to New York and decided to be a painter, I was looking around, trying to identify galleries that were showing young Chinese artists like me. I initially thought it may be helpful to have a career model to study, as I was quite confused at the time about how to go about building my career. In addition, my family and parents had no art background or advice I could rely on. Te Chinese artists with gallery exhibitions in New York were famous artists like Jia Aili and Zhang Huan (b 1965), who represented a different era. I could not identify with them and learn from the way they had built their careers. I therefore basically just followed my intuition and moved ahead. For the future, I wish that young Chinese artists have a role model to follow. It is important for me to give young artists who may be confused guidance and advice. I want to encourage them to realise that if I could do this, they maybe can do it, too.


AAN: Would you say now is an interesting time to be in contemporary art? YF: I find the art world to be at a very interesting stage right now. As I progress in my practice, and as I am getting older, it is becoming increasingly hard to be impressed by what I see in the art world compared to the time when I started out. I have been living in New York for 10 years,


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and, for example, visiting the Whitney Biennale for the very first time was a highlight, whereas visiting the later ones just underlined the fact that overall the works had not changed that much. In this sense, it has become harder to discover things or artists where I get truly excited. In this context, I believe I now need to put more effort and energy into discovering new things.


AAN: What do you want to try to contribute to contemporary art as a whole? YF: We find ourselves at a stage in contemporary art where defining a movement is very difficult. Right now, I do not think there is a movement based on a strong or unique concept. Since we live in a very globalised society with countless things going on around us, I do not know now what I can positively contribute to our history or our world. However, since I am still at the beginning of my career, I will strive to make better and stronger works and see where that takes me.


AAN: Do you feel nostalgic at times, wishing you were back in China? Is having a studio in China an option you would consider in the future? YF: Having a studio in China is an option, but I do not know how it would work out in practical terms, as whenever I tried painting in Shenzhen while visiting my family, I could not paint. Te energy of the city of Shenzhen has nothing to do with New York: it is very isolated from the art world and resembles more a kind of Silicon Valley. When I am there living with my parents, I am taking care of my duties as a daughter. It is a kind of role play, and I am not an artist when I am there. Terefore, when in China, it may be easier if I simply had my own studio, but not in Shenzhen.


AAN: Would you consider cities like Shanghai or Beijing that have a similar energy to New York? YF: I am more a Shanghai girl than a Beijing girl, because I am from the south. In addition, my mother’s parents are from an area near Shanghai, creating more of a connection to the city than Beijing. I have this ambivalent feeling towards Shanghai, as I enjoy and do not enjoy the city at the same time. In some ways, I came to realise that my identity as an artist was not linked to China, since while I was


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living there, I never made any art. Terefore, I remain with a question mark when it comes to me having a studio in Shanghai and functioning as an artist there. Another point to take into consideration is that I am not part of the art community in Beijing or Shanghai. Some people may know who I am, but on my end, I am basically starting from scratch. I became very aware of it after returning to China following the pandemic. However, I am fortunate to have my studio in New York, because if you are a Chinese artist living in China and only have a Chinese audience, it is very hard to have a global platform.


AAN: Deciding where to establish a studio has become a challenge since the art world has become so global. What are your thoughts? YF: After travelling to various European cities last year – London, Basel, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris, which I very much enjoyed – I still feel New York is the city that has the most to offer. However, Europe has the advantage that every single city can be reached in less than a two- hour flight, making it very convenient to go and see things. In New York, it is all concentrated in the city itself, and travelling within the country requires more effort, as the next biggest art location in the US is Los Angeles, which is a six-hour flight away.


AAN: Following the Silver Art Projects residency, would you like to pursue a similar experience in the future? YF: Absolutely. I am thinking of a summer residency either in upstate New York or in Europe for two or three months. It would be fantastic if something were to work out next year.


AAN: Your pieces feel very gestural. Do they reflect your personality? YF: I feel that to be an artist, you must be honest, and you cannot hide yourself in your work. Terefore, I think my work is like me. You decide to be an artist not for being famous or for the money. You just want to be honest with yourself, and that’s why you pour your entire soul into the painting.


AAN: How would you describe who Yuan Fang is and what she does? YF: Tis is a very difficult question. Basically, I am just a person who is trying to navigate between the East and West, aspiring to make better paintings every single day.


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