Xiaojing Yan facts for kids

Xiaojing Yan is a talented artist from Canada who was born in China. She is well-known for creating amazing sculptures, art installations, and public art pieces. Her art often explores ideas about identity and culture, blending her experiences from China and Canada.

Early Life and Artistic Journey

Xiaojing Yan was born in 1978 in Jiangsu, China. She studied art at the Nanjing Arts Institute, earning her first degree in 2000. Later, she moved to North America. In 2007, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

Moving from China to North America greatly influenced her art. Her work often explores how different countries, languages, and cultures shape who we are. Yan's art has been shown in many famous places. These include the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada and the Suzhou Museum in China. Her art was also featured at the Toronto International Art Fair several times.

The luxury brand Hermès has asked Yan to create special art for them. In 2019, she designed the summer window display for their store in Shanghai. She also had her own art show there. In 2021, Hermès asked her to create a permanent art piece called "Emergence" for their new store in Shanghai.

Exploring Art and Nature

Yan's art often explores deep meanings about spirituality and how people change. She uses her own experiences from growing up in China and moving to Canada. She takes traditional Chinese art ideas and gives them a modern twist. For example, in her 2018 show In Suspended Silence, she combined old Chinese ink painting styles with modern sculpture. Her art uses traditional Chinese materials and ideas to explore the space between different cultures and identities.

One of Yan's most famous artworks is “Lingzhi Girl” #10. This piece was even featured on the cover of Art in America magazine in March 2022. This series of artworks shows human and animal shapes. They are inspired by old Chinese stories about myths and folktales.

How Lingzhi Mushrooms Become Art

To create these unique sculptures, Yan actually grows lingzhi mushrooms. She mixes mushroom spores with woodchips. Then, she puts this mixture into a special mold she created. She carefully controls the humidity, temperature, and light. This helps the mushroom grow into the right shape. Once the mushroom has grown enough, she removes the mold.

The mushroom sculpture is delicate and continues to change even after it's out of the mold. Nature takes over, and the mushroom keeps evolving. This makes her art a cool mix of art, science, and natural processes. It shows how art and nature, and art and science, can connect.

Solo Exhibitions

• 2021 Pines, Needles, Mushrooms, Ink, Paint, Chinese American Arts Council/Gallery 456, New York City, USA.
• 2019 Dreamland, Hermès Maison, Shanghai, China.
• 2019 A Wanderer's Mind, Art Gallery of Northumberland, Cobourg, ON, Canada.
• 2018 In Suspended Silence, Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, BC, Canada.
• 2018 Auspicious Omens, Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China.
• 2017 Out From Among the Tranquil Woods, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, Ontario, Canada.
• 2017 Between the Water and Mountains, Zhangjiagang Museum, Zhangjiagang, China.
• 2017 Floating, Durham Art Gallery, Durham, Ontario, Canada.
• 2015 Hybrid Vigour, The Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Canada.
• 2015 Cloud Cell, Red Head Gallery, Toronto, Canada.
• 2015 New Growth-Breath in Unison, Orleans Gallery, Ottawa School of Art, Canada.
• 2014 Red and White Melody, +15 WINDOW SPACE, Truck Contemporary Art Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
• 2014 Innocence & Experience, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, Canada.
• 2012 A Grasp of Shadows, Red Head Gallery, Toronto, Canada.
• 2011 New Growth, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant, Brantford, Canada.
• 2011 Bridge, Artspace, Peterborough, Canada.

Select Group Exhibitions

• 2022 The Art of Living on Community, Immigration, and the Migration of Symbols, Canadian Culture Centre, Paris, France.
• 2022 Tiger Show, Meili Ruins Museum, Wuxi, China.
• 2021 Qi of Water, Art Gallery of Mississauga, ON, Canada.
• 2020 The 5th Documentary Exhibition of Fine Arts – Physis: Production of Nature, Human and Technology, Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan, China.
• 2020 If a Turtle Could Talk, Art Museum at the University of Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2020 Resistance and Resilience, the Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery, QC, Canada.
• 2019 Biennale internationale du lin de Portneuf, Québec city, QC, Canada.
• 2019 The Experiment, Dunlop Art Gallery, RPL Film Theatre, Regina Public Library, Regina, SK, Canada.
• 2019 Shaping Time, Latcham Art Centre, Stouffville, ON, Canada.
• 2019 The Experiment, Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, SK, Canada.
• 2018 Glimmers of the Radiant Real, The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, ON, Canada.
• 2018 Convenience, 2018 Myseum Intersections Festival, Toronto, ON Canada.
• 2017 Into You: Fall in Deep, Humber Galleries, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2012 (Da Bao) (Takeout), Varley Art Gallery, Markham, ON.

Public Artworks

• 2018 Dwelling, City of Burlington Plain Road Public Art, ON, Canada.
• 2018 Cloudscape, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2017 Sound of the Rain, Elora Centre for the Arts, Elora, ON, Canada.
• 2017 Nature's Bounty, AquaBlu Condo Development at Town of Grimsby, ON, Canada.
• 2016 Moon Gate, Permanent Public Art Commissioned by Jinji Lake Art Museum, Suzhou, China.
• 2013 Couldscape, Seneca College, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2010 Reflection, Downtown Bike Rack design, City of Burlington's Public Art Program, ON, Canada.

Awards and Recognition

Xiaojing Yan has received several important awards for her art.

• 2021 InStyle Women Increation Prize in Visual Arts.
• 2018 OAAG Exhibition Installation and Design Award, Ontario Associate of Art Galleries.
• 2014 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
• 2013 Mandarin Profile Awards of Fairchild TV.
• 2013 The Chalmers Arts Fellowship.
• 2011 Best of Show Award, Annual Juried Exhibition, The Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario, Canada.