Yun-Fei Ji's paintings depict semi-fictional narratives that intermingle East and West cultures.
In a presentation that critiques the harmful impact of migration and labour across China and the United States, Yun-Fei Ji's paintings are at once nostalgic, tender and dark.
The Fan with Cloth on It (2022) depicts fragments of everyday objects alongside a tangled mass of abstract patterns and shapes. A lone green chair, table fan and ceramic vase occupy the Chinese artist's painting, reminding the viewer of a space in transition that is both familiar and foreign.
Employing a pastel colour palette featuring dusty pink, lavender and mauve, the Beijing-born artist gives warmth and soul to narratives of displacement.
In Bunk Bed (2022), Yun-Fei Ji portrays a cluttered interior of a room. The space feels rough and ready, with coat hangers balancing laundry and stacks of scattered papers. The intimate painting superbly demonstrates Yun-Fei Ji's ability to charge mundane, make-shift spaces with emotion that reflects on the stories of uprooted individuals.
The Sunflower Turned Its Back is on view at James Cohan 52 Walker Street until 7 January.
