Pei Yanqing

Pei Yanqing’s introduction to art began in her father’s study at home. An industrial designer and book collector by trade, he would have libraries of picture books on design, on art, on calligraphy, which Yanqing would flick through, captivated by the delightful eccentricity on each page.

This experience has translated into the artist Yanqing is today; exploring the intimate symbiotic relationships between human beings and their surroundings. It’s a pictorial vision of communication that is at once chaotic and harmonious. Her fluid brushstrokes morph a figure into a mountainous ridge, which may peter out into the vague outline of a horse.

Yanqing’s abstract landscapes are born from classical Chinese poetry; literature she was immersed in as a child. It was the graphical quality of the ideographic characters which kept her reading; rich in imagery and often reflecting a spirit of introspection.

Instead of white primed canvas, Yanqing favours the neutral tones of a raw surface. From the outset, Yanqing establishes a connection with her fabric by stretching the unprimed canvas herself. Yanqing will then loosely paint onto the canvas with a delicacy and fluidity akin to Chinese calligraphy, allowing the natural tones of the surface to shine through.