Artist Statement

Alexandra Yuan was born in 1995 in China, raised in Canada, and currently lives and works in New York. She has an MFA at the School of Visual Arts, working across painting, mixed media, and installation.

Yuan’s work explores abstraction as a language of quiet intensity, transforming vulnerability and inner struggle into contemplative forms. Through layering and concealment, she examines the tension between what is revealed and what remains hidden. Each layer functions as both protection and exposure, unfolding over time.

Drawing from Eastern and Western traditions, Yuan balances subtle suggestion with emotional depth. Influenced by Daoist and Zen philosophies, she engages with stillness, impermanence, and the space between forms, while also referencing the light and atmosphere of Renaissance and Baroque painting.

Her work incorporates fluid natural forms such as water, clouds, smoke, and wind—elements that shift, dissolve, and reappear. Through layered surfaces, her paintings merge softness and structure, revealing meaning gradually.
 
Yuan’s work centers on resilience, healing, and renewal, inviting viewers into a space of reflection where meaning is sensed rather than defined.

Recent Exhibitions

Group show: Compounding Interest (MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition)
SVA Chelsea Gallery, NYC, April 17th- May 2nd, 2026

Group show: When Time Ticks,
Helm Contemporary, NYC, February 12th-19th, 2026

Exhibition at SVA Continuing Education project space
School of Visual Art, NYC, September 2025

Group open studio
School of Visual Art, NYC, group open studio, 2024-2026