Born in Shanghai in 1987, Qian Jiahua studied at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, where she remained following her graduation to embark on a career as an independent artist. Influenced by the work of Barnett Newman and the principles of minimalism, Qian Jiahua’s works with acrylic on canvas to produce abstract geometric compositions that demonstrate a flawless minimalism. The artist seeks to challenge the easy balance of a traditional canvas by delineating large areas of solid colour with stark borders and contrasting lines.
Sensitive to the impact of space, Qian Jiahua’s works create subtle optical illusions, challenging the physical limitations of the flat medium on which she paints to suggest a third dimension to her pieces. Shapes with painted borders will lean outwards or be layered upon one another, not restricted by the two-dimensional canvass they occupy.
