My Story

My Artistic Journey

My lifelong artistic journey exists at the intersection of ecology, cultural identity, and contemporary art. As both an environmental scientist and a practicing artist, my work explores the concept of symbiosis—between humans and nature, tradition and innovation, East and West. Rooted in a Ph.D. in Botany and Ecology and shaped by my experiences as a village artist during China’s Cultural Revolution, my practice reflects a deep commitment to sustainability, cultural memory, and experimental form.

I work primarily in water-based media, fusing Chinese ink, watercolor, and calligraphy with gouache and natural materials such as plant tissues, wild clays, soils, rice paper, and organic or recycled objects. This materiality is not merely aesthetic—it is ecological, tactile, and symbolic, embodying the fragility and resilience of the natural world. In my studio and residency work—including programs at the New York School of Visual Arts, Los Angeles College of Art and Design, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Oregon), Chalk Hill Art residency (California), as well as international residencies in Galway and Berlin—I have developed a unique visual language that blends Eastern philosophies with Western abstraction. The result is a body of work that speaks to interconnection: the mutual interdependence of ecosystems, cultures, and identities.  Together, these works propose a visual ecology—one that not only observes nature, but listens to it, collaborates with it, and learns from it. They are intended to open space for dialogue, inviting viewers to consider their own role within the intricate web of life.

My artworks have been selected for presentations and exhibitions, including the National Science Museum in Taipei, Somos Gallery in Berlin-Germany, Yosemite Museum, California Art Center Museum, Crocker Art Museum, SOMArts San Francisco, Duluth Art Museum, Los Angeles TAG Gallery, Carmel Art Center, University California-Davis Gallery, State University-Sacramento Gallery, Pence Gallery, Blue Line and Artistic Edge Galleries, Galway International Art Festival Open Studio.  At a time when environmental urgency and cultural fragmentation dominate our global narrative, I see art as a vital changing agent for repair and reconnection. My practice is a quiet, persistent act of symbiosis—where art and science, human body and earth, past and future meet.