Wanying Jin

Using opulent forms and bold patterns, Wanying Jin redefines elegance and identity in contemporary era.

TARA BLACKWELL is American but lives in North America

Shenzhen, China

Identity

Individuality

Her STORY

Through bold patterns and imposing female figures, Chinese artist and illustrator Wanying Jin (b. 1995) challenges the way we perceive woman. Based in Shenzhen, China, Jin redefines elegance in the contemporary era through her portraits that reveal empowered and imposing female figures. The opulent forms and design reflected in Jin’s paintings reveals beauty and cultural diversity from across the globe. Instead of being tethered or defined by conventional beauty standards, Jin uses geometric forms to embolden their distinct character. ⁣

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As an artist, Jin sees her job not as an inventor of these characters but as a facilitator, bringing the subjects to our reality and restoring them with paint, fabric, and make-up tools. She sees the most exciting aspect of this creative process as styling these narratives and that moment when her subjects come to life off the canvas.

Jin started her career as an illustrator where she built a dynamic portfolio of fashion illustrations. She received her M.A. degree in Illustration from Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, England, and holds a B.A. in Illustration from the Arts University of Bournemouth, Poole, England.

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Wanying Jin is represented by Uncommon Beauty Gallery, a globally curated and socially responsible Art Space in New York, representing artists from all over the world, from emerging to established. We are proud to help showcase Uncommon Beauty Gallery's artists and to uplift their aligned work that makes space for minorities, female, queer, and gender non-conforming artists are grossly under-represented in today’s art market.

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What we love
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Jin’s attention to pattern and fashion creates added complexity to her female figures. Transcending the labels of muse and model, she alters the feminine appearance and gives them a multifaceted depth that alters the perspective of the viewer. With great elegance and grace, Jin creates a more diverse standard that dives beneath the surface of what society deems beautiful. Her figures are poised and elegant, drawing attention to their unique features in a way that is reminiscent of the high fashion world.

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Beyond her career as an artist, Jin has also worked with causes that include youth education and strengthening communal mental health by building self-support communities to exchange and reconfigure emotions through art making.

“I don’t make soulless portraits. I can only finish a portrait when I feel the person is real to me and soulful.”

- Wanying Jin

IMPACT

IDENTITY & SOCIAL AWARENESS

The uniqueness of Jin’s portraits stems from her sensitivity and compassion with people of all kinds. Ambiguous in sex, race, and age, her characters and their identities are not bound by labels that separate people from each other in today’s increasingly segregated world. She reflects place and culture through the decorative patterns often seen in her work. Her observations related to the complexity in humanity serves not only as her motivation and muse but also as her own path towards self reflection.