Yafeng Duan

Yafeng Duan (*1973, Hebei, China) grew up in Baoding and currently resides in Berlin. In 1998, she presented her first solo exhibition at the Lianchi Museum in Boading. Since this very first debut, her journey has been marked by an absolute dedication to art. In fact, this has always been Yafeng Duan’s goal – to be an artist, humble, without the need to aspire to fame but rather to live independently through her art.

The following year, she began studying traditional ink painting at the Central Academy for Fine Arts in Beijing (CAFA), until 2001. In 2004, she moved to Alfter, in Germany, where she studied Painting at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, for a year. Upon her arrival in Germany, Duan confronted a new and expansive understanding of art, initially responding with a drastic internal withdrawal and by taking a break from painting. However, after a couple of months, she gradually began to open up and adapt, producing a series of abstract gestural drawings that marked a transition to a new artistic approach, distinct from her traditional Chinese roots.

A pivotal period in her artistic career was the six years of studying Freie Kunst at Bauhaus University in Weimar, graduating in 2011, while concurrently attending Robert Lucander’s classes at the Berlin University of the Arts. Her professor, an expert in 20th-century Western art, significantly expanded her horizons. This sparked a lasting fascination with contemporary art and his influence played a crucial role in Yafeng Duan’s decision to remain in Germany.

The artist was raised by her father, Duan Xinran, a prominent figure in traditional Chinese ink painting, who played a crucial role in shaping her artistic perspective. Yafeng’s art is imbued with dualities such as light and density, thin and broad lines, floating colours and solid surfaces. This interplay gives life to abstract paintings, reminiscent of Kandinsky, establishing a dialogue between East and West. She adopts an approach that reflects the influences that have shaped the development of abstract art throughout the 20th century. Yafeng Duan’s fascination for Western art and its history is rooted in her personal artistic experience and influences from her family environment. This quest for exploration is further underscored by her use of European artistic materials, sought not only as new possibilities and techniques but also as a means to impart a tangible quality and physical presence to her works, extending beyond mere visual representation.

It is a unique approach that, moreover, reveals an ancient attitude and profound reflection on Chinese culture. Her painting, influenced by the Chinese concept of Qi, is described as a meditative technique, a tool to expand pictorial spaces, and a way to quiet the mind and be guided during the creative process.
Her abstract compositions combine colours and forms in an interpretative manner; namely, she challenges visual expectations and provides a space for various creative interpretations by the viewers. Her compositions distance themselves from contemporary, historical, or culturally conventional artistic concepts, unveiling a free and personal approach to artistic creation. Yafeng Duan paints guided by both intuition and control, using brushstrokes that range between fields of colour of varying sizes, pasty, and thin translucent layers of paint. At times, the result is an alternation of colour and untouched white canvas, which seems even brighter and purer.

Yafeng Duan is an artist devoted to her art, constantly evolving and seeking new artistic expressions. Through her works filled with vibrant colors, she provides a stimulating dialogue rooted in both Eastern and Western cultures, and, as she herself has stated, a place where “one can live and breathe”. Exhibitions in prestigious venues attest to the institutional recognition of her work. In fact, she has mainly exhibited in museums and galleries in Germany and China, including notable venues such as the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Galerie Eigenheim and Neues Museum in Weimar, Galerie Rothamel in Erfurt, Berlin Art Scouts and Alexander Ochs Private Berlin, and Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang.