ARTIST STATEMENT
Based on my observation, the current mainstream discussion of feminism in Chinese society does not provide enough space for non-binary people. As a non-binary person born and raised in China, my voice was excluded from mainstream feminism when I was identified as “non-female” by the environment. I believe this is a form of gender binarism hegemony that excludes and marginalizes diverse perspectives. Where do I situate myself in the different stances of the current feminist discussion in Chinese society? The way I have found so far is to detach myself from the pessimistic emotional experience of being neglected and ostracized, and to observe and deconstruct my identity and social roles without making subjective judgments. I used fictional scenes to symbolize my spiritual shelter, with disintegrated self-portraits to embody the deconstruction of my gender identity and the social expectations that are forced upon me, and ultimately this series of works created a vision, a vision of my awareness of the relationship between my own image and the environment.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jinghan He is a Chicago-based artist with a background in illustration and graphic design, she currently focuses on drawing and oil painting. Jinghan’s work focuses on personal expression, aiming to find natural, almost subconscious emotional outpourings and transform artistic creation into a reflection of personal experience, as well as confronting trauma with artmaking at the same time. Her works, including paintings, collages, and drawings were exhibited in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well as several cities in China, including Beijing, Kunming, Chengdu, and Zhuhai. Experiences and Awards:
July 23rd-Aug 15th, 2024
Paintings “Improvisation Series” was exhibited in Bring It On: Stones from Afar exhibition, Xu Liaoyuan Modern Museum of Art, Chengdu, China. Artworks featured on toutiao.com. June 7th-June 18th, 2024
Painting “Fragments of the City” was exhibited in Georgia O’Keeffe: “My New Yorks” Contest Exhibition, SAIC SITE Gallery, LeRoy Neiman Center, Chicago, IL Dec 2nd, 2023-Jan 6th, 2024
Painting “The Dance” was exhibited in 6th Annual 12*12 Show, Elephant Room Gallery, Chicago, IL Nov 11th-Dec 5th, 2023
Paintings “The Ones that Haunted Us III”, “Self-portrait” were exhibited in 4C Exhibition: 2023 Q4-Boundaries, San Gabriel, CA
Artworks featured on Artron.net. Sep 21st-Oct 20th, 2023
Design project “Tian Jing Sha: Autumn Thoughts” was exhibited in Youth Design 100, Beijing, China Sep 23rd, 2023
Artwork “Ink Marks” won the finalist award in Hiii Illustration 2022 International Illustration Contest May 19th-June 2nd, 2022
Artwork “HerStory” was exhibited in Liminality: 2022 Visual Art Exhibition of Asian Artists in America, New York
© Jinghan He