A conversation with Yifan Qian
Your artworks are fantastically surreal; how do you create your compositions?
These acrylic self-portraits were completed by me in different periods,recording my state at that time. I chose to use symbolic and abstract ways to express my emotions and record what I was going through at the time. For example, in one painting I painted a candy machine with my head on it (Glaceon 16x20 Acrylic on wood 2024), and I recorded my unhappy love experience that left me deeply involved. Another painting of mine, Umbreon, expresses my conjecture about the universe because I read a book called "The Three-Body Problem". I often record my ideas through sketches, and then organize and create them. Sometimes a painting will have multiple ideas from different periods combined together.
Many of your works are self-portraits. What draws you to this genre of painting?
I like self-portraits, and self is the most important thing in my work. I understand myself and heal myself through art creation. I am an idealist. There is a word in Chinese called "本自具足". It can be understood that everything that happens in the universe has actually happened in my brain. While I am exploring myself, I am also exploring the universe and time and space. Another reason is that I am a person who craves attention very much. It may be that some experiences in my childhood have traumatized me. I am always anxious and depressed because of the lack of attention. In my creation, I give all my attention to myself, and I relieve my mental pain by creating self-portraits.
Your use of cool-toned colors gives your paintings an ethereal aura. How do you create your color palettes?
I am a person who is very sensitive to color, and the use of color is the most direct way for me to express my emotions. Colors are always connected to specific memories. Many times, I can no longer remember the specific things that happened, but I still remember the colors and the emotions behind them. I prefer blue, and the color that resonates with my emotions most of the time is always light blue. I can’t explain why I have such a habit of using colors. I just try to express my art in my natural way. I have loved blue, the sea and the sky since I was a child.
What do you want your art to convey to viewers?
I am like a person talking to myself, constantly telling stories about myself, my experiences, and my thoughts. When I just finish my creation, I often hope that viewers can really understand me and listen to what I say. But sometimes, especially for some old paintings, I don’t care about being completely understood. I hope that viewers can see their own stories in my works. I want to re-write the story of this painting with the audience. I am not a good communicator. I often have something I want to say but don’t know how to express it in words. Art is my language, I am in dialogue with the viewer, and I in different time and space speak for myself in the paintings.
Who are some artists you look to for inspiration?
There are many artists who have influenced me in my exploration of art. In the early years, I liked Marlene Dumas. I liked the power of her paintings. I hope that my art can also have power and influence many people. Michael Berryhill is also an artist I have liked for a long time. I copied many of his paintings and he taught me how to play with color. My recent works have been influenced by René Magritte. After moving to New York, I saw his original works in an art gallery for the first time.