Yirui Jia tells me what it's like as a recently-graduated artist in New York, and I ask her two cheeky 'Would You Rather' questions
DK:
How’s it like being a recent art school graduate? What are some things that have changed after graduation (apart from going to school or doing school-related stuff)?
How’s it like being a recent art school graduate? What are some things that have changed after graduation (apart from going to school or doing school-related stuff)?
YJ:
My schedule was tight during my MFA and there was a lot of going back and forth between studio and class– I still see myself as a student! But after graduating I started paying for my studio and supplies so it makes me feel more focused on my personal schedule. At the same time, it doesn’t make that big of a difference; I still go to my studio everyday, it’s just less time for peer reviews and talking to friends. In terms of work, I’ve been working with galleries since my MFA program, so in that sense it’s been a continuum.
DK:
That’s great! while I can’t speak for art school, there’s often the sense where once you finish school and you come out, you’re like, ‘Ok, what now?’ But for you it sounds like the transition was smooth.
That’s great! while I can’t speak for art school, there’s often the sense where once you finish school and you come out, you’re like, ‘Ok, what now?’ But for you it sounds like the transition was smooth.
YJ:
Yep for sure. I’m very happy to be able to support myself with a bigger studio space compared to my school studio after graduation as well.
DK:
Could you tell us about what art school was like? Especially moving to New York for your MFA?
Could you tell us about what art school was like? Especially moving to New York for your MFA?
YJ:
I didn’t graduate from an art school for my Bachelor’s – I went to a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, in a small town called Gettysburg. It’s quite different compared to the school in New York, especially from the School of Visual Arts where I continued my studies. The courses here are more visual-oriented and which has been great for my goals. They also offered classes that organised studio visits and also taught art students how to connect with galleries and even one called, ‘Friending,’ where they teach you how to request studio visits and how to introduce your work if you happen to run into someone who works at a gallery or a curator in the elevator.
DK:
That sounds amazing (laughs).
That sounds amazing (laughs).
YJ:
While it can seem commercial, it’s also very practical for us to get to learn about the market a bit as a student. It’s not only about the work that matters, but also about how you introduce and visualise it in words. I think I’ve learned from and enjoyed the studio visit class the most! We got the chance to visit the studio of a contemporary artist based in New York and see it all happen with our own eyes. It was a very rich experience.
DK:
It’s amazing that they have courses like that, especially with the school taking an active role in connecting artists to galleries. Does being an artist in New York impact your practice/your attitude towards painting?
YJ:
Yes, definitely. The elements on the street, the billboards, advertisements, films– the city enriches me. The environment is great in that it provides me with elements to throw into my paintings.
New York is different from other cities because there is always so much energy. I’m not always outgoing, but when I see people on the street I like to see how different people are and look at what they wear. I like to see these elements as triggers and put them into my paintings. New York is like a nest of nutrients for me.
DK:
It’s so great that you’ve landed in a city that fits your energy so well or at least gives you the energy that you need! Could you tell us a bit about your ~artistic journey~ and your relationship with theatre and cartoons?
YJ:It’s so great that you’ve landed in a city that fits your energy so well or at least gives you the energy that you need! Could you tell us a bit about your ~artistic journey~ and your relationship with theatre and cartoons?
During my BFA program, I had the chance to study abroad in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. We did lots of field painting– mountains and bridges– and I appreciate the experience because it recovered my sensibilities. I felt like I could capture nature in a way where I didn’t have to think about anything external to it. After returning home I continued the art program. I then decided to apply for the MFA at SVA afterwards.
A year into the program and then COVID-19 turned all the classes online. I didn’t think it was worth it to finish second year like that so I decided to take a gap year and then went back to my hometown in China. I rented a small studio in Beijing where I stayed for half a year, and then I returned to New York last August. I graduated earlier this year afterwards!
DK:
There’s something about going to a completely new place that makes you (re-)discover things that you feel like you’d lost. I also did a study abroad year when I was an undergraduate: I went to London.
Something changed within me as well, as cliche as it sounds. Funnily enough, in my first year I was studying for a Biology degree, but when I got back I was like, ‘Ok, I’m going to do art history as well now.’
YJ:
Yeah same! I was aiming to do Psychology or Sociology, but I ended up double majoring in Management studies and Studio Arts. I’d never think that I’d have a job as an artist, especially because none of my family members work in art.
DK:Yeah same! I was aiming to do Psychology or Sociology, but I ended up double majoring in Management studies and Studio Arts. I’d never think that I’d have a job as an artist, especially because none of my family members work in art.
Do each of the recurring figures have a consistent character profile throughout your works?
YJ:
Many pieces of my work are wild, especially revolving around a single character. I call her ‘the bride.’ I used to only paint her wearing a bright white dress with orange vibrant hair. But now they’re dividing and upgrading to different versions of– I’d still call her the bride but she’s becoming more “-typed,” and becoming more like an athlete *showing around different paintings in the studio* – like this one’s an astronaut.
I’m also thinking about other social identities for the bride to fit in. I used to paint other characters like the shark, the british soldier, and the plug – they each play a different role in the ‘play.’ I see a painting as a play or theatre, and the figures being actors. Now I’m thinking not only about the narrative but the whole painting as a character itself. So it’s almost like each painting has its own personality; I’m pushing towards seeing the painting as a whole. Recently, I’ve tried starting as an abstract painting and then using that abstract-ness to search for clues on how to build a play based on it.
DK:
Mhmm. That sounds really cool. Would you say that there were social factors or something within you that likewise, kept evolving that prompted this kind of change to be reflected onto your canvas?
YJ:
Yeah, I think there’s a sort of flow that artists search in order to find what they truly want to do. Like in the beginning, I started with a sketch which would then be relocated onto a big canvas; I would paint according to it. But after graduating, I started realising that it hasn’t been very satisfying for me to just relocate the sketch onto the canvas – during the process nothing would really surprise me – so I’ve started to slowly give up on the sketch.
Now I start with abstract colour blocks and then I try to look at what they’re like. I’ve started to care more about the relationship of what is happening in the canvas. Sometimes it’s taken me longer to finish a painting. I apply the colours onto the canvas and then see what happens. Other times, it’s easier to find the clues, which lets me finish the piece faster.
How about with the bride? Tell us a bit about her origin story!
YJ:
I was inspired by the film ‘Kill Bill’ by Quentin Tarantino. There is a bride character, Beatrice, and a killer with an eye patch. In my work you’ll see a bride with an eye patch; I’m always inspired by icons which I like to combine together. I wanted to portray a bride that is non-stereotypical, rather punk yet feminine and bizarre. So I started with her. In the beginning she was only wearing one outfit, the bright white dress, but now I’m putting her in different outfits and situations. I still call her ‘the bride’ though.
DK:
Are you more of a spontaneous type when it comes to painting/working in the studio, or do you have a routine that you like to follow?
Are you more of a spontaneous type when it comes to painting/working in the studio, or do you have a routine that you like to follow?
YJ:
I’m a more spontaneous type but I follow a routine where I have to go to work (studio) everyday. But, when I finish a big painting that takes a lot of energy, I take a few days off to spend at home and rest. And then I go back to work, and then re-stretch my canvas. The gesso and stretching takes a couple of days, but after that I can get started again. But yeah, I also love to mess with paint everyday. It’s kind of like how a basketball player feels as if they lose ‘the feel’ if they don’t touch a ball for a few days: I don’t like the feeling that I might lose the ‘feel’ of my painting, so I pretty much want to touch paint everyday.
DK:
It sounds like you have a great relationship with painting!
It sounds like you have a great relationship with painting!
YJ:
Very healthy.
DK:
After showing in multiple cities around the states and also across continents, do you have a favourite city to show in?
After showing in multiple cities around the states and also across continents, do you have a favourite city to show in?
YJ:
I want to show in Europe. I haven’t had the chance to show in London or Paris yet! France is my favourite country and I’d love to go back and visit.
DK:
It would be amazing for you to revisit the city that inspired you to pick up painting.
It would be amazing for you to revisit the city that inspired you to pick up painting.
YJ:
Yeah that’s true!
DK:
Do you have a favourite city to show in?
Do you have a favourite city to show in?
YJ:
There was a show that I’ve done in Brooklyn that I love to this day. It wasn’t really at a ‘gallery’ per se, but it was more like a music exhibition venue. During the week or the weekends they would have their music concerts, which meant that we had to move the paintings to the storage and afterwards, bring it back out for the show. It was quite special to me because it was my first solo show in New York. I like their vibes because of the concerts they hold, especially the neon lights on the ground that would be on during the show. What was fun was that because I use a lot of fluorescent paint in my work, none of us knew that the paint was going to pop once the lights turned off. And when they did turn it off, only the neon on the floor and the fluorescent orange color on my canvas was glowing. It was an unforgettable moment for me.
DK:
Do you get inspired by your surroundings or galleries you work with or artist friends?
Do you get inspired by your surroundings or galleries you work with or artist friends?
YJ:
It’s very tricky for artists to say that they are ‘inspired’ by gallerists– but I remember I had a painting in the Miami solo show where I painted a bright female character dancing with an octopus. I imagined the octopus to have multiple hands and I wanted them and their hands to dance in disco. My gallerist from Miami, Gabe, asked me if I’ve heard about the film ‘My Octopus Teacher’. I went back to watch it and I loved it. So I titled the painting ‘My Dr. Octopus’. I love how people view the work from their perspectives which gives me a lot of references and experiences from it.
DK:
Here is a quick hypothetical question: If you could only paint three of the same figures for the rest of your artistic career, what would they be?
YJ:
I’d say the bride, the plug and maybe… daily objects? I have a wide range of daily objects that I like to borrow; I see them as tools, like you know in a play you have these tools behind you as props. Recently I’ve painted certain objects like the Dyson *pointing to the painting behind, of multi-headed bride wearing basketball jersey*– the sneakers remind me of an advertisement. I’m always seeking new elements and new icons.
With the plug, I sometimes make it wear a suit, or sometimes I paint it as a monster or a dog that passes by the bride. There’s something wild about it that I really like.
DK:
The next two are going to be would you rather questions: the first – Would you rather paint with your left hand for a year, or be restricted from using a particular colour for a year?
The next two are going to be would you rather questions: the first – Would you rather paint with your left hand for a year, or be restricted from using a particular colour for a year?
YJ:
Since I have a lot of colour choices, I will choose to paint with my left hand for a year (laughs). I actually want to try it now; I’ve never done it before, partly because the painting might turn abstract. But I’d definitely want to have a try – I think it’s interesting to force yourself to limit your condition.
DK:
When I was thinking about the question and how you’d answer, I thought you would have chosen the latter, but then I couldn’t imagine what the colour you’d choose would be.
When I was thinking about the question and how you’d answer, I thought you would have chosen the latter, but then I couldn’t imagine what the colour you’d choose would be.
YJ:
My paintings are always everywhere, the colours – each painting is colourful. I’ve actually been thinking of limiting my colour choice recently, but I don’t know how it would look. I’ve tried a few times but I’ve failed so far; usually when I think that a painting doesn’t feel right, most of the time it’s because the colors aren’t right so it’s hard to limit the colour choice.
DK:
Would you rather spend the whole day with your cat at the studio while working, or spend minimum time in the studio, and then play with your cat at home?
Would you rather spend the whole day with your cat at the studio while working, or spend minimum time in the studio, and then play with your cat at home?
YJ:
I’ve never brought him to the studio! He’s pretty shy so he might just hide in the studio!
DK:
Aww he must be super shy!
Aww he must be super shy!
YJ:
Yeah! Do you have any pets?
DK:
Well, the thing is I’ve never quite understood the synergy one could have with a pet until someone very close to me started raising one… since then I’ve transformed to the point where I can’t imagine how I was before.
One last question; What is your favourite memory of being an artist (open-ended)?
Well, the thing is I’ve never quite understood the synergy one could have with a pet until someone very close to me started raising one… since then I’ve transformed to the point where I can’t imagine how I was before.
One last question; What is your favourite memory of being an artist (open-ended)?
YJ:
The control I have over my schedule and I think that’s something I appreciate a lot in my life. I’m very happy to have control over it.
Dyana Kim