Jiatong Yuan
Born 1994, China
Artist Statement
I do not approach painting from a human-centred perspective, as I believe art history is ‘too human’. Instead, I focus on how perception emerges through the relationships between bodies, materials, microorganisms, sound, and enchantment. Ecofeminist thought has profoundly influenced my creative practice, especially its emphasis on interdependence, care, and the entangled relationships between human and non-human life forms.
My process typically begins by soaking the canvas with water-based medium to establish a fluid ground. Then I build up layers with slow-drying oil paint, allowing the work to unfold through varying speeds, rhythms, and durations. My brushstrokes oscillate between control and the term "contingency," generating, resisting, and reshaping forms. Fine, delicate marks are often juxtaposed with thicker, more forceful ones, emphasizing the materiality of paint.
Microbiology, nature sounds, and long walking nourish my creative practice. These modes of engagement allow me to perceive the world beyond established categories and hierarchies. Traditional Chinese landscape painting has also influenced me, particularly in its conception of stillness. I also consider my gestures to possess a calligraphic quality.
My paintings aim to create an intimate and elusive place. Through subtle shifts, blurred imagery, and moments of tension, the works invite the viewer to slow their gaze and linger. I am drawn to experiences that resist immediate recognition or definitive conclusions; consequently, vulnerability, openness, and attentiveness are central values in my work. The resulting images often evoke an environment that is simultaneously calm and turbulent, where disorder and harmony coexist, reflecting the complex entanglements of contemporary life.
CV
Exhibition
Solo
2026
30th April - 4th May, Irritation and Flow, Kira Streletzki, Berlin, Germany
Group
2026
18th - 21th June, RCA degree show, London
4th - 10th May, Soft Witness:50 Stories of Us, Roha Gallery, London, UK
20th March – 25th April, The Drunken Boat, Haricot Gallery, London, UK
3rd January - 7th February, She is a tree, Small Gallery, London, UK
2025
18th September – 22nd March, MYO Kings Cross, Hurst Contemporary & A Space For Art, London, UK
19th February – 22nd March, Daphne's Daughters, Trio Show, Mey Gallery, Los Angeles, US
2024
18th – 21st October, In Days of Heatwave II: Among the Hydrocommons, Safehouse 2, London, UK
28th September – 2nd November Symbiont: Collective Threads of Ecological Study, HYPHA Studios, London, UK
12th September – 24th October I Am Rooted, but I Flow, Mey Gallery, Los Angeles, US
12th – 16th July, Goldsmiths Art and Ecology Degree Show, Richard Hoggart Building, London, UK
2014–2015
Annual College Outstanding Works Exhibition, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts Museum, China
Publication
2025 Soft Witness: 50 Artists, 50 Stories (ISBN: 978-1068293009)
2024 "Tomorrow is a Lie", Journal of Art and Ecology, Vol. 3 (ISSN 2977-0602)
2024 Zine: In Days of Heatwave II: Among the Hydrocommons
Award
2025 Basil H. Alkazzi Scholarship Award
Museum Collection
the FAMM museum
Press
vogue.it/article/berlino-guida-arte-contemporanea
Education
2025-2026 MA Painting, Royal College of Art, London
2023-2024 MA Art and Ecology, the Goldsmiths, University of London, Distinction
2012-2016 BA Photography, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts