Solo Exhibition by Ying Ye at Real Art Ways

Burn the Midnight Oil
Ying Ye

HARTFORD - Real Art Ways presents a solo exhibition by Ying Ye. The exhibition is on view through Sunday, October 8 2023. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday from 2-9pm. Admission is free. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street, Hartford.

Real Art Ways is pleased to present Burn the Midnight Oil, a solo exhibition of recent work by Ying Ye. As a Chinese Citizen and immigrant to America, Ye redefines her American-Chinese identity through her painting, sculpture, and performance. Working in her family's restaurant, China Eagle, located in Ellington, Connecticut has played an important part in shaping her life and her art, especially this exhibition.

Throughout Burn the Midnight Oil, Ye examines the use of soybeans in the making of tofu (especially in terms of fragile tofu skin), referencing the process as a metaphor for her family's experience as Chinese immigrants and workers in the food industry. Combining elements of performance, sculpture, video and text, Ye looks towards community building and shared resources as a way to heal from the stresses of life under capitalism.

Installation View

Ying Ye is an interdisciplinary artist who incorporates her family's tradition of cooking into her work. Ye's work addresses the "burden that younger generations of Asian and Asian Americans [experience] in American culture." Ye has exhibited at venues including Farmington Valley Arts Center, Five Points Gallery, and the Ely Center of Contemporary Art in New Haven. Ye earned a BFA in Painting and Sculpture from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford in 2019.

Ye is a recipient of a 2022 Real Art Award. The Real Art Awards are a juried competition open at no cost to emerging artists from the six New England states, New York, and New Jersey. The 2022 Real Art Awards were juried by multidisciplinary artist Carlos Motta, curator and creative strategist Yona Backer, and Real Art Ways Executive Director Will K. Wilkins. In addition to a cash prize and a solo exhibition, each artist receives a logistical and curatorial support throughout the exhibition process. This project is supported in part by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation.

For more information on Ying Ye, please click here.