"I’m always interested in our bodies as vessels, what we contain and what we cannot. All that comes out of us, all that is within us. The borders both real and imagined. Existing in the in-between."
Julia Chiang (b. 1978, Atlantic City, NJ) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received her degree in Art History and Studio Art from New York University. Chiang is known for her detailed paintings which take flat-colour backgrounds as a setting for an intricate web of shapes and forms, flowing in converging directions and carefully constructed through layers of paint.
Photo: Julia Chiang photographed by Farzad Owrang
ARTIST CV & BIBLIOGRAPHY
Julia Chiang (b. 1978, Atlantic City, NJ) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She received her degree in Art History and Studio Art from New York University. Chiang is known for her detailed paintings which take flat-colour backgrounds as a setting for an intricate web of shapes and forms, flowing in converging directions and carefully constructed through layers of paint.
From an initial viewing the compositions seemingly give off the appearance of a uniform execution but upon closer study reveals the differences in transparency and definition, and at times the presence of uncertainty and chance in the painterly process. The repetition of pointed ellipses are a prominent feature in Chiang’s paintings, occupying the expanse of flat color and creating a sense of movement, a channel of energy. Underneath, large forms appear to guide and gather the flow; or layered on top they loom above, threatening to encroach and disturb the serene pattern. The strive for pattern continuity, the ambiguity between containment and expansion, pushing between shapes and directions are reminiscent of the pushing of physical and emotional boundaries Chiang contemplates within her visual language.
Her work has been widely exhibited internationally and solo exhibitions of her work include Holding My Breath Moving Closer Closer, The Modern Institute, Glasgow (2020); Julia Chiang, The Journal Gallery, New York (2020), Pump And Bump, NANZUKA, Tokyo (2019); Spit Sweat Shhh, The Modern Institute, Glasgow (2019); Tennis Elbow, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn (2018) and LET ME IN, LET ME OUT, B20A, New York (2015). Public projects include the Rockaway Hotel mural in Far Rockaway, Queens, the Rx Art mural at the Nappi Wellness Institute, SUNY Upstate, Syracuse, NY, and her upcoming first-ever solo museum exhibition at The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York.
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The Selves
27 Jun - 9 Aug 2024“An artist is a sort of emotional or spiritual historian. His role is to make you realize the doom and glory of knowing who you are and what you are....Read more -
Julia Chiang
Salt on Our Skin 12 Jan - 25 Feb 2023I’m always interested in our bodies as vessels, what we contain and what we cannot. All that comes out of us, all that is within us. The borders both real...Read more
