EDWARD HONGYI JIA

Edward Hongyi Jia’s paintings are a coalescence of nature, technology and the human hand. Technological advancements drive our separation from the natural world. Crops are genetically modified to fit the demands of overpopulation: the detriment caused by human advances is countered by further interventions. As people, we often further this separation, disregarding our dependency on the natural world. Drawing from places where the human hand heavily influences nature, the bonsai tree and the aquarium, the artist is intrigued by the human obsession with exerting control.

Sprawling canvases feature deep greens beside blues, purples and yellows. Indistinguishable forms appear to generate and multiply, interspersed with unnatural elements, floating Petri dishes and glass boundaries that refract and disrupt their flow.

Once oriented within the space, the viewer becomes aware of the work's horizon; abstract masses become dystopian landscapes, an entanglement of nature and science. The artist considers this a battleground, calling his compositional technique “central composition group” after the military tactical term. Reflecting on the history of conquest and confrontation between humans and nature, Hongyi Jia’s work asks questions about where one begins and the other ends and what the battle between the two means for our future.

Shows include ZONE: Edward Hongyi JIA (Solo), Ronchini, London, UK, 2023; RCA MA Degree Show, London, UK, 2022; London New Contemporaries Show Union Gallery, London, UK, 2021; UAL 2020 Online Degree Show, 2020; Flows Across the Bridge, Chelsea college of arts, London, UK, 2020; Singulart Gallery, Paris, France, 2020; Goldsmiths Oriental M-art, Goldsmuiths Univeristy of London, London, UK, 2020; Sino-French art association exhibition in Falerie Francis Gallery, Paris, France, 2019; T. House Centre Gallery in Shanghai, Shanghai, China, 2019; Beijing City Art Fair, Beijing, China, 219; amongst others.