Featured artist: Shye Zhang
Everyday Snapshots: Rediscovering Time and Meaning in Overlooked Moments of Daily Life
The recent 'Artist Project' art fair in Toronto was brimming with a diverse array of artworks from all over Canada. Wandering through the numerous booths, one artist particularly caught my eye and left a deep impression: Toronto-Scarborough local artist Shye Zhang. In a multicultural Canada, especially in a melting-pot city like Toronto, the way an artist reveals their roots and identity can exude a unique charm. What was especially intriguing about Shye Zhang was how she subtly, almost nonchalantly yet delicately, showcased this identity through slices of everyday life, rather than grand pronouncements.
I anticipated that my work would be deemed odd, unusual and unrelatable. To my surprise, the exact opposite happened. In painting Sriracha and soy sauce bottles as well as my sister slurping noodles as a midnight snack, there was a universality through real, niche representation. It opened my eyes that all I truly had to do is paint what I know.
Shye Zhang says, "One of my greatest and never overstated influences are my parents and the way they conduct their lives." As immigrants, art was far from their minds; they found visual pleasure in a clean kitchen, a potted plant, and some green scallions sprinkled over hot soup. It was precisely this teaching from her parents—"to pay attention to the day-to-day beauties, however temporary they may seem"—that became the bedrock of her art. She expresses a deep affection, saying, "I want to make art for them, what they relate to and experience. I want to permanently capture the way they understand and navigate the world in a modest, humble, and loving manner." The asian ingredients-soy sauce bottles, sesame oil, and bok choy in her works transcend simple still lifes; they approach us as condensed symbols of this family history and attitude towards life.
The Rhythm of Life on Canvas
Shye Zhang is a passionate full-time artist, typically dedicating herself to creative work from around 10 AM to 5 PM. This consistency, like that of many artists, is currently sustained mainly through teaching and grants. While intensely building her unique artistic world, she also expresses a thirst for connection with fellow artists. "Instagram is my ultimate connector. Due to busy/disorganized schedules, it is rare for me to connect with other artists in person." However, she's not stopping there, revealing a proactive will to communicate: "That said, I am on a mission to change this in 2025 and am learning to carve out more time for face-to-face conversations."
Identity in the Everyday
As can be glimpsed from her written interview, the artist, rather than intentionally bringing her identity as an immigrant to the forefront, naturally reveals it through experiences and emotions infused into daily life. This is evident in her choice of subjects, such as sauce bottles in the fridge that we often overlook or even construction signs on the roadside. Shye Zhang's works awaken us to the fact that such ordinariness is precisely an essential aspect of our lives, and that universal beauty and stories are hidden within it.
Framing the Moment: Loose, Chunky, and Real
Shye Zhang’s compositions often fill the canvas with the subject or show a part of daily life as if cut out like a snapshot. Such composition makes the audience focus more on the subject and has the power to make them imagine the stories contained within it. 'Ramen' for instance, vividly captures an intimate, almost spontaneous late-night scene, where a figure indulges in noodles directly by the refrigerator's glow, perfectly embodying a snapshot of relatable, unposed daily life. Her “looser and chunkier” brushstrokes are read as an intention to capture the feeling and emotion of the moment rather than perfect representation.
Recently, she shared that she is in a transitional phase of her life and is particularly drawn to the concept of time—how we mark it, how we live through it. She finds meaning in observing the small, unfolding cycles around her.
Inspirations from classical and contemporary artists like John Singer Sargent's skillful capture of moments, Alex Kanevsky's expressive figuration, or Zoey Frank's exploration of everyday spaces further enrich her artistic world. Crucially, the fact that many artists Shye Zhang cites as influences are deeply committed to figurative painting provides an important clue to understanding her artistic universe.
Right now I am in a transitional stage of my life and am obsessed with the idea of time - how we mark and experience time. I enjoy watching a fresh bouquet fall apart over two weeks, how the clutter in my bathroom accumulate, get purged, then accumulate again, and the journey of simple items like candy wrappers and hairclips.
Shye Zhang's art originates from extremely personal experiences and spaces, but it convincingly proves the proposition that 'the most personal can be the most universal.' Through small subjects intimately connected to her life, she forms a common ground that transcends nationality or background.
We look forward with great anticipation to how she will further expand her own unique art world within the Canadian art scene. While cheering that her honest and warm perspective will convey inspiration and comfort to more people in the future, for those who wish for collaboration with artist Shye Zhang or to delve deeper into her art world, we recommend that you try to communicate directly through her website www.shyezhang.com or her Instagram account.
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