Xinyan Zhang: Transfer to Tomorrow
Upsilon Gallery is pleased to present Transfer to Tomorrow, our first solo exhibition by Berlin-based Chinese artist Xinyan Zhang. Known for blending Western post-expressionism with traditional Chinese painting, Zhang’s works share a hybrid of techniques that explore common experiences and the vulnerabilities of human existence. For the artist, her paintings are a way to transcend observed social realities and current media of today, and propel the development of mankind toward the future.
Growing up in Shenzhen, China in the early 1990s during a period of rapid industrial and social change, Zhang became keenly aware of the fragility and uncertainties of human nature, particularly for children and women in her society. While studying in Berlin, Zhang recognized similarities between cultures as she observed the somber heaviness of reconstructed post-WWII society. Influenced by Chinese Confucianism and German philosophers like Fredrich Nietzsche, her practice explores the value and frailty of life and the essence of human nature. Drawing from personal experiences, Zhang also uncovers the dark side of human nature.
Beneath the playful colors and spontaneous gestures in Zhang's art lies a deliberate disconnection with the present, urging viewers to look beyond surface beauty. Her paintings depict figures in different states and dimensions within the background, symbolizing a bridge between past and present, consciousness and unconsciousness, and different aspects of humanity.
Through her art, Zhang symbolizes the distortion and fragmentation of modern female form, highlighting the social challenges faced by women and children. Inspired by artists like Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, and Henri Matisse, Zhang's work deconstructs modern humanity against the backdrop of a global future society.
Xinyan Zhang has been exhibited internationally with solo exhibitions at De Sarthe Gallery in Arizona (2024) and Hong Kong (2023); Bauschaustelle Düsseldorf e.V, Düsseldorf, Germany (2022); Women's Museum Bonn, Bonn, Germany (2022), among others. Recent group exhibitions include: Artual Gallery, Lebanon (2022); Fangyuan Art Museum, Beijing (2022); Galerie Bodenseekreis, Germany (2022); Art Factory HB 55, Berlin (2022); Ultramontane Gallery, Hangzhou (2022); BBK Karlsruhe, Germany (2022).
The artist has been nominated for several art awards in Germany, including the 7th Eb- Dietzsch Art Award, Förderpreis Jung + Gegenständlich 2022 Art Award in Bodenseekreis, Bottrop Art Award in Bottrop, V.Rothe & R.Hendricks Artist Award in Bonn, and Baustelle Schaustelle Art Award in Düsseldorf.
The show runs from July 9th - August 29th, 2024 with an opening reception on July 9th from 6-8 pm, and an artist talk on July 11th from 6:30 - 7:30 pm.
Upsilon Gallery is located at 23 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10065.
Exhibition hours are Tuesday to Friday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Saturday 10AM-5PM & by appointment. Please contact the gallery at (646) 476-4190 or email at info@upsilongallery.com for further details.
