Chongyin
Yuan

I, Yuan Chongyin, was born in Shanghai in 1987. Growing up in a typical traditional Lilong neighborhood (old lane in Shanghai and, by extension, a community centered on a lane or several interconnected lanes) close to the Bund.

My grandfather was a handicraftsman from who I had a lot of influence and his works of paper cutting and calligraphy was still displayed right in my workroom. Early in my high school years, I took classes in art training school to learn basic painting. From then on, I remained unswervingly on the path of cultivating my painting skills. Due to my endeavors, I was admitted to the College of Fine Arts of Shanghai University in 2005, ranking top in the whole Shanghai city not only for its arts professional training, but also for its high-quality academic education. There, I made inquisitive study into oil painting and various literature courses to enrich my comprehensive knowledge system. With the help of the artistic curriculum of my major, I was exposed to professional training of fine arts and laid a solid foundation for painting techniques.

Driven by my passion of arts, I continued studying graduate program of the Study of Fine Arts at our College. On basis of specific study on oil painting, I began to contemplate about the entailed meaning behind painting works. Thanks to the effort I devoted to the challenges, I have gained all-round understanding of the modern art history, and I am well informed about the inextricable link between art and contemporary context. Only by integrating into the culture of his time can an artist create an artistic work that belongs to the time.

In addition to professional training and academic thinking, I also extended my outlook by actively participating in a variety of art exhibitions and competitions. At first, my works were turned down outside the door of many exhibitions, which was really a hard time for me. However, instead of being frustrated, I was self-motivated to continue my submissions. My effort finally got paid off as my works were listed in exhibitions of both national and international level, such as Contemporary Chinese College Watercolor Art Exhibition, Shanghai Youth Biennale, Contemporary Chinese Painting Invitational Exhibition of University of Wisconsin, etc. It’s worth mentioning that I’m holding my Naked Memory Solo Exhibition in M50, Shanghai in November 2017. What’s more, in 2018 I had residency in the Swatch Art Peace Hotel and create works with other artists from all over the world. Now I am working and living in Halifax, Canada as an MFA candidate in NSCAD University and had a group show in Anna Leonowens Gallery recently.

The series of < Inside out >, which presents how I explore, taste and narrate the city of Shanghai from my mixed feelings. I paint to ask myself “What is a city? What is my relation with Shanghai?” I try to unveil the colorful world beyond the walls. For me Shanghai has always been in transformation playing with modernization, tradition and internationalization. Working at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel will definitely give my works multiple meanings, enhancing its background, emphasizing the historical context. The experience will help me bring my preconscious to conscious. It can be a stage where others can have and share views of Shanghai which can inspire me and my art pieces would be more like tributes than paintings.