Yirui Jia: Inviting Me to Me

  • COMA is pleased to present a solo exhibition, titled ‘Inviting Me To Me’, by New York-based artist Yirui Jia (b. 1997, China), on view 13 January – 18 February, 2023. This is the artist’s first solo presentation with COMA.

     

    In Inviting Me To Me, bold hues, wicked brushstrokes and distorted imagery create a fantastical world where fragmented narratives are dominated by a protagonist that flits and weaves between realms – a Tarantino-esque bride that rules a cacophonic multiverse.

     

    This character, with locks of flaming orange hair and an eye-patch alluding to some sort of violent history, constantly redefines herself as she assumes a horde of differing social identities. Swimmer, astronaut, mermaid, athlete – the list goes on. Each persona brought to life is empowered by a layered complexity that builds upon an ever expanding narrative, a narrative that knits together fantastical ambition, whimsy, and unrivalled comedic wit.

     

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  • We see the bride as she lounges in a bikini on a park bench under the radiation of a hair...
    Yirui Jia
    All About, 2022
    acrylic and glitter on canvas
    207 x 210 cm / 81 2/5 x 82 1/2 inches
    Inquire
    We see the bride as she lounges in a bikini on a park bench under the radiation of a hair perming machine, delicately resting coconut shells on her clawed feet. She distorts herself into a spider-like figure, furiously pulling out the intestines of a stuffed astronaut, a wildly misbehaved and contradictory construct of the female stereotype. Straddling representations of ideal goodness and mischievousness, the bride is in parts grotesque, violent and messy, and this reflects Yirui Jia’s appetite for spectacle and the unspeakable. The honest depiction of a woman in control of her own universe, revelling in the chaos and willingly swept up in a maelstrom.
  • Artworks
    • Yirui Jia All About, 2022 acrylic and glitter on canvas 207 x 210 cm 81 1/2 x 82 5/8 in
      Yirui Jia
      All About, 2022
      acrylic and glitter on canvas
      207 x 210 cm
      81 1/2 x 82 5/8 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Fire a Yawn, 2022 acrylic and glitter on canvas 170 x 220 cm 66 7/8 x 86 5/8 in
      Yirui Jia
      Fire a Yawn, 2022
      acrylic and glitter on canvas
      170 x 220 cm
      66 7/8 x 86 5/8 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Here Comes The Pharoah, 2022 acrylic and glitter on canvas 193 x 358 cm 76 x 141 in
      Yirui Jia
      Here Comes The Pharoah, 2022
      acrylic and glitter on canvas
      193 x 358 cm
      76 x 141 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Miss Bad Breathe, 2022 oil sticks, colour pencil and charcoal on paper 30.5 x 23 cm 12 x 9 in
      Yirui Jia
      Miss Bad Breathe, 2022
      oil sticks, colour pencil and charcoal on paper
      30.5 x 23 cm
      12 x 9 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Rhapsody , 2022 acrylic, gesso and glitter on canvas 220 x 340 cm 86 5/8 x 133 7/8 in
      Yirui Jia
      Rhapsody , 2022
      acrylic, gesso and glitter on canvas
      220 x 340 cm
      86 5/8 x 133 7/8 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Sixty-Two Miles Below Kármán Line, 2022 acrylic on canvas 155 x 231 cm 61 x 91 in
      Yirui Jia
      Sixty-Two Miles Below Kármán Line, 2022
      acrylic on canvas
      155 x 231 cm
      61 x 91 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Soft Candy Soft 02, 2022 acrylic and glitter on canvas 130 x 240 cm 51 1/8 x 94 1/2 in
      Yirui Jia
      Soft Candy Soft 02, 2022
      acrylic and glitter on canvas
      130 x 240 cm
      51 1/8 x 94 1/2 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Surfing, 2022 oil sticks, colour pencil and charcoal on paper 30.5 x 23 cm 12 x 9 in
      Yirui Jia
      Surfing, 2022
      oil sticks, colour pencil and charcoal on paper
      30.5 x 23 cm
      12 x 9 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Waiting Room, 2022 oil sticks, colour pencil and charcoal on paper 30.5 x 23 cm 12 x 9 in
      Yirui Jia
      Waiting Room, 2022
      oil sticks, colour pencil and charcoal on paper
      30.5 x 23 cm
      12 x 9 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia Who Makes The Fire?, 2022 acrylic and glitter on canvas 240 x 130 cm 94 1/2 x 51 1/8 in
      Yirui Jia
      Who Makes The Fire?, 2022
      acrylic and glitter on canvas
      240 x 130 cm
      94 1/2 x 51 1/8 in
      Inquire
    • Yirui Jia You Are Not You When You Are Hungry, 2022 acrylic and glitter on canvas 220 x 170 cm 86 5/8 x 66 7/8 in
      Yirui Jia
      You Are Not You When You Are Hungry, 2022
      acrylic and glitter on canvas
      220 x 170 cm
      86 5/8 x 66 7/8 in
      Inquire
  • 'I see a painting as a play or theatre, and the figures being actors. Now I’m thinking not only about...

    "I see a painting as a play or theatre, and the figures being actors. Now I’m thinking not only about the narrative but the whole painting as a character itself. So it’s almost like each painting has its own personality- I’m pushing towards seeing the painting as a whole. Recently, l’ve tried starting as an abstract painting and then using that abstract-ness to search for clues on how to build a play from it."

    – Yirui Jia

  • Installation Views

     
     
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