Bio

Shiyan Yang (b. 1976, Wuhan, China) is an artist based in California, USA. She studied at China University of Geosciences. Alongside her painting practice, she works professionally as a jewelry appraiser.

Artist Statement

I never studied painting formally. My professional background is in jewelry appraisal. In May 2022, an unexpected illness changed everything. During days of high fever and hallucination, I encountered a world both unfamiliar and incandescent: skies, clouds, the sun, the moon, stars—and even plants and animals—revealed themselves to me as eyes. These eyes shimmered and surged, as if piercing through my body and mind, reaching into the depths of my soul.

From that moment, I felt an irresistible call to create. My process was spontaneous and feverish. Paintings emerged within minutes or hours. I touched pigment with my hands and body; brushes, cups, flowers, and fruit all became tools. I had no formal training, and not even the skill to mix colors well. Each work felt guided by an unseen force. I painted until exhaustion, slept, and often woke in tears, sensing that the images were not mine alone but manifestations of something vast and mysterious. This intense period lasted for over a year, later settling into cycles of silence and resurgence.

For me, painting is not a choice but an awakening—an impulse beyond reason. Often, the work feels complete before I even realize I have begun. In those moments, I am flooded with fulfillment, then dissolve into stillness, rising again like tea leaves drifting in water, as if lifted by the cosmos.

Painting is the most primal and enigmatic occurrence in my life—a dialogue between myself and the universe, a breath shared across infinity.

艺术家简介

杨诗妍，1976年生于中国武汉，现居美国加州。曾就读于中国地质大学。在绘画创作之外，她同时从事珠宝鉴定工作。

自述

我并未受过正式的绘画训练，原本从事珠宝鉴定工作。2022年5月，一场突如其来的疾病改变了一切。在高烧与幻觉持续的日子里，我看见了一个陌生而炽烈的世界：天空、云朵、日月星辰，甚至植物与动物，都以“眼睛”的方式向我展开。那些目光流动、闪烁，仿佛穿透我的身体与意识，直抵灵魂深处。

从那时起，我感到一种无法抗拒的召唤，驱使我开始创作。那段时间的创作是自发而炽热的，作品常常在几分钟、几十分钟，或一两个小时内完成。我用双手和身体接触颜料，笔、杯子、鲜花、水果，任何物品都可能成为工具。我没有受过学院训练，甚至并不真正懂得调色。每一次创作都像被一种无形的力量牵引。我画到精疲力尽，沉沉睡去，醒来时常含着泪，感到那些画面并不只属于我，而像是某种巨大而神秘之物的显现。这种强烈的状态持续了一年多，后来逐渐转为周期性的沉寂与再现。

对我而言，绘画不是一种选择，而是一种觉醒，一种超越理性的冲动。很多时候，作品仿佛在我意识到“我要开始画”之前，就已经完成了。那一瞬间，我会被巨大的满足感淹没，随后坠入宁静，再从深处缓缓升起，如茶叶在水中沉浮，仿佛被宇宙托起。

绘画，是我生命中最原始、最神秘、也最无法解释的发生。它是我与宇宙之间的一场对话，是穿越无尽时空的呼吸。