ARTIST STATEMENT
Since childhood and through my adult life, my perspective was never valued by my surrounding family members merely because of my gender. I grew up with no voice. However, these setbacks never stopped me from feeling a sense of profound worth, beauty, and power. From this conceptual point of departure, my paintings are all about reflections of my journey from a traditional Asian culture built on male patriarchy to a new world that embraces female empowerment. Starting with drawings featuring various organic forms of life on a piece of paper, a sense of reproductive power appears on canvas and later evolve as the subjects. I distort these forms with my imagination to infuse my work with dreamlike, surreal sensibility and narratives. The wildness of the shapes and the vivid colors evoke the sensuality and seductiveness of procreative nature. This is how I intend to surface, elevate, and celebrate femininity and unbridled female power. I hope the exaggerated moments and the ambiguous spaces in my work curb a man’s carnal desire and instill a sense of respect and reverence for the creative power of women.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Yuan Ge was born in China. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an MFA candidate with a focus in painting at Savanah College of Art and Design. Her works are about reflections of her journey from a traditional Asian culture built on male patriarchy to a new world that embraces unbridled female empowerment. Her practice consists mainly of oil and ink paintings and installations, and her process is also about self-healing and self-rediscovery. With an intention to surface, elevate, and celebrate femininity and unbridled female power, she uses wildness of the shapes and the vivid colors to evoke the sensuality and the value of procreative nature. Yuan Ge is represented by SCAD Art Sales. She exhibited with Hui Feng Art Gallery in Shanghai, China and Johns Creek Art Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
© Yuan Ge