Beijing-born artist Lin Yan’s artistic practice centres on her innovative use of Xuan paper, transforming this traditional Chinese material into site-specific installations that respond to architectural spaces. Lin creates works that navigate between two and three dimensions, using layers of pleated paper, ink, and plaster moulds to capture both natural beauty and temporal traces. Her technique breaks free from traditional ink art while maintaining subtle references to Chinese landscape paintings through undulating paper formations that evoke water ripples. Lin’s artistic language is deeply influenced by her time in France, where she studied at L’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts (1985-1986), following a family legacy of Franco-Chinese artistic exchange - her grandfather Pang Xunqin studied there in the 1920s, and her mother Pang Yao was among the first Central Academy of Fine Arts professors to study in France. After further studies in the US, Lin has dedicated herself to pioneering a unique artistic realm that harmoniously blends minimalism with Eastern aesthetics. In Alisan Fine Arts’ first collaboration with the artist, Lin will present never-before-shown works and create site-specific installations at Alisan Atelier in Aberdeen that strike a balance between material tranquillity and contemporary dynamism.

Opening Reception: 06.05.2025 (Tue)