-
Overview
In a world of constant flux, Ding strives to align with the laws of the formless, penetrating appearances to reach a more profound reality. Through his work, Jingyan Ding seeks to provoke reflection on the relationship between emptiness and substance, reality and simulation, creating a perceptual threshold that feels both familiar and unfamiliar, ultimately leading viewers to question whether the world they inhabit is truly real.
Jingyan Ding (b. 1999, Baicheng, China) currently lives and works in Milan. Jingyan Ding’s work revolves around the impermanence of the self, exploring its transformations and infinite possibilities within the realm of rupa (phenomena, the world of forms). Influenced by Taoist and Buddhist thought, he engages with the notions of the intangible, the formless, impermanence, and infinity, while posing a fundamental question: Are we living in a virtual world?In his work, the tensions between reality and virtuality, presence and absence, first-person and third-person perspectives, as well as seeing and being seen, intertwine to construct a profound exploration of identity, existence, and perception. For him, the self arises from non-self. In an increasingly virtualised era, individuality flows like data, constantly shifting in a state of non-linearity and uncertainty.Primarily working with oil painting, he regards painting as a medium that reveals the invisible through the visible, a visual language that describes a sense of flow, immersing the viewer in a fluctuating, ever-changing self. He sees “emptiness” (wu) as both wisdom and origin. The formless world is not void, but a real and invisible dimension whose energies and laws govern the operations of the visible world. The virtual nature of the tangible is rooted in the more profound truth of the formless.
-
Works
Jingyan Ding Chinese, b. 1999
Untitled, 2025Oil on canvas50 x 50 cm
19 3/4 x 19 3/4 inCopyright The ArtistIn this work, Jingyan Ding continues his profound exploration of perception and reality by placing a self-consuming flame on an endless cyclical platform, symbolizing the impermanence and dissolution of existence....In this work, Jingyan Ding continues his profound exploration of perception and reality by placing a self-consuming flame on an endless cyclical platform, symbolizing the impermanence and dissolution of existence. The flame suggests that everything is inevitably moving toward nothingness, reflecting how we search for meaning in a constantly changing, endlessly cycling world.
Through the medium of oil painting, Ding employs a visual language of flow and transformation, allowing viewers to sense the blurred boundaries between self and world, between nothingness and existence. The presence and disappearance of the flame reveal the transient and impermanent nature of all things, prompting reflections on whether our identities and perceptions are merely fleeting sparks in an eternal cycle, and whether the world we perceive is, like the flame, always moving toward nothingness.
1of 2BiographyEDUCATION
2023 – PRESENT
- Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture, Academia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan
2022 – 2023
- Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture, Academia di Bella Arti di Bologna, Bologna
2017 – 2021
- Bachelor’s Degree in Animation, Changchun Normal University, Changchun
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025
- BONIAN SPACE, Beijing, China, ‘The Edge of Phenomenon’
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
- Contemporary Cluster, Rome, Italy ‘4th Prisma Art Prize’
2024
- No Title gallery, Venice, Italy, ‘We Art Open Worldwide’
2023
- P420 gallery, Bologna, Italy, ‘Le onde’
ART FAIRS
2025
- 5th Edition of ReA, OPOS, Milan, Italy
ExhibitionsContact FormSend me more information on Jingyan Ding
Stay in touch with Enari
Joining the Enari newsletter is the best way to stay informed about our latest shows, fairs, and artists' news
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied to communicate with you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.