Talentspotter shines a spotlight on Asian artists, which offers not just information on artists from the regions but also market insights. This series originally ran in The Asia Pivot, Artnet Pro’s biweekly members-only newsletter providing mission-critical analysis, insights, and exclusive intelligence on developments in Asia’s art markets, with a focus on business opportunities and challenges. Subscribe here to receive it directly to your inbox.
When the market highlights Asian artists and their diaspora, those residing overseas often take the spotlight, leading the market’s momentum. A significant increase in Asian students enrolling in BFA and MFA programs in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe, coupled with the increasing exposure of Asian diaspora communities and Asian galleries on the global stage, opening outposts in the West, and exhibiting at international art fairs, are key contributing factors. Over the past decade, this trend has produced a new generation of graduates poised to make their mark on the gallery scene. In this roundup, we shed light on those who reside outside of Asia to keep your eyes on.
Yuan Fang
Pressing Me Against, 2023, 200 x 240cm, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas
Who: Yuan Fang (b. 1996, Shenzhen, China)
Based in: New York
Gallery: Hive Center for Contemporary Art and Skarstedt
Why we care: Two years after earning her M.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York and receiving the Rhodes Family Award for Outstanding Achievement, painter Yuan Fang has made waves with her solo exhibition at Shanghai’s Long Museum, “Flux”. Last year, Fang’s profile in the art market soared, with nine lots going to auction, including 2022’s Expanse (mask), which sold for $88,900 including fees in March at the New Now sale at Phillips in New York and setting an artist record, according to the Artnet Price Database. Her whirlwind brushstrokes have captivated a wide audience, and she is particularly popular among emerging collectors. Fang sees her abstract canvases as metaphors for the human condition, marked by anxiety, turbulence, and unpredictability. Her recent work, influenced by traditional Chinese art and the Dunhuang frescoes, sees her embracing her origins and identity as an immigrant who moved to the United States at the age of 18. This year, Fang is taking part in the year-long artist residency program at Silver Art Projects in New York.
Up next: Fang will present her largest-ever painting in the upcoming edition of Art Basel Miami Beach’s Meridian sector.
Mark Yang
Mark Yang, Asleep, 2023, oil on canvas, 40 x 44 inches
Who: Mark Yang (b. 1994, Seoul, South Korea)
Based in: Tivoli, New York
Gallery: Various Small Fires
Why we care: Mark Yang’s paintings are characterized by colorful distortions and sculptural entanglements of human limbs. A 2020 graduate of Columbia University’s closely watched M.F.A. program, Yang employs various painting techniques to conjure these mysterious anatomical visions, which tend to elude explicit gender assignments. Prioritizing the body over identity, he explores shifting cultural conceptions of masculinity, and gender in general, in South Korea, where he was born, and the U.S., where he settled with his family in 2003. Yang’s work has not yet appeared at auction, but it is surely only a matter of time. Demand for his paintings is strong, and in 2023, he held a solo exhibitions at Massimo De Carlo’s spaces in Beijing and Paris as well as the Dallas branch of Various Small Fires. His momentum continued into January of this year, with Kasmin presenting a solo exhibition, titled “Birth,” in New York.
Anna Park
Anna Park, Picture that (2024) © Anna Park. Courtesy of the artist. The work is featured in her solo exhibition, “Look, look,” at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth.
Who: Anna Park (b. 1996, Daegu, South Korea)
Based in: Brooklyn, New York
Gallery: Blum
Why we care: A rising market star, Anna Park has captivated the art world with black-and-white charcoal drawings that oscillate between figuration and abstraction, with marks that can feel at once frenetic and nuanced. The Korean-born artist moved to Utah with her family at a young age, and she received a B.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and then an M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art. At 24, she was tapped by Blum & Poe (now Blum) for a solo show in Tokyo in 2021. Another one-person show followed at its Los Angeles branch in 2022. “I’m jamming a bunch of disparate moments into one image,” the artist said in an interview with The Canvas in 2021. “I’m trying to key into some recognizable moments, which inevitably break down into these abstract marks.” The secondary market for Park’s work has been active since 2022, with an auction record set that year at a Christie’s Hong Kong evening sale for Is it Worth It? (2020), which sold for HK$3.8 million (about $484,000), more than 600 percent of its presale estimate with fees included, according to the Artnet Price Database.
Ongoing: Park has a solo exhibition titled “Look, look” on view at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth. Her first museum solo show outside of the U.S., it features a new body of work, mostly large-scale black-and-white drawings that take inspiration from pop culture, nodding to Western cultural influences she encountered as a young immigrant in the U.S. It runs through September 8.
Shafei Xia
Shafei Xia, The happy tiger (2023), painted and glazed ceramic. Luca Bombassei collection. The work is currently on view in “I Licked It, It’s Mine” at the Museum of Sex in New York.
Who: Shafei Xia (b. 1989, Shaoxing, China)
Based in: Bologna, Italy
Gallery: P420
Why we care: The trajectory of Shafei Xia’s life has been just as colorful as her oeuvre, which ranges from ceramic works to paintings. The Chinese-born artist studied set design at Chongqing University and moved to Shanghai upon graduation in 2013, turning down an offer for a steady job in her hometown. The artist has said that being able to make her first sale in Shanghai allowed her to “catch the scent of freedom in the air.” Xia then moved to Bologna to further her studies at the Fine Arts Academy there. She won the Talent Prize of Fondazione Zucchelli per l’Arte in 2019 and earned her fine arts degree in 2020.
Xia has opted for the image of a tiger to represent herself, and the symbol of this powerful big cat that is native to Asia is a recurring motif in her whimsical and erotic body of work, which walks a fine line between imagination and reality. Whether looking at her sandpaper paintings or her detailed ceramic works, which reveal her roots in set design, it is not hard to notice allegorical and coded commentaries on human nature, and her yearning for personal freedom. Her works range from €8,000 to €18,000 (about $8,600 to $19,400), depending on their medium and size, according to her gallery, P420.
Up next: Xia is currently featured in “I Licked It, It’s Mine,” an exhibition at the Museum of Sex in New York with Oh de Laval and Urara Tsuchiya that will be on view until January 19. She is also featured in “The Infinite Woman,” a group show at the Fondation Carmignac on the island of Porquerolles in the South of France through November 2. Xia is one of five artists shortlisted for the Gamec Prize and will have work on view at Gamec in Bergamo, Italy, beginning later this month.
Xinyan Zhang
Xinyan Zhang, The Faker (2024). Copyright Upsilon Gallery.
Who: Xinyan Zhang (b. 1991, Shenzhen, China)
Based in: Berlin, Germany
Gallery: Upsilon Gallery (New York, London) and De Sarthe Gallery (Scottsdale, Arizona, and Hong Kong).
Why we care: Blending Western post-expressionism with traditional Chinese painting, Xinyan Zhang’s hybrid techniques explore common experiences and human vulnerabilities. Zhang is influenced by Confucianism and Nietzsche, and her work delves into life’s value and frailty, uncovering the dark side of human nature. From a female perspective, her recent works interpret current social and cultural phenomena, posing the question: “Are there truly insurmountable obstacles in life?” Reflecting on recent wars, she uses black soil to create grave-like shapes, covered with liquid wax that flows downward, resembling melting glaciers. Ignited white cotton ropes cause the wax to melt, evoking the fragility of the people—and their resilience.
Zhang has exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions at the De Sarthe Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona (2024), and Hong Kong (2023), the Bauschaustelle Düsseldorf e.V (2022) and the Women’s Museum Bonn (2022) in Germany, and elsewhere. She has been nominated for several prizes in Germany, including the 7th Eb-Dietzsch Art Award, the Förderpreis Jung + Gegenständlich 2022 Art Award in Bodenseekreis, the Bottrop Art Award, and the Baustelle Schaustelle Art Award in Düsseldorf.
Up next: Zhang is presenting her solo exhibition, “Transfer to Tomorrow,” at New York’s Upsilon Gallery through August 29.
Yi To
Yi To, Four legs good, two legs bad, 2023, TV aerial, silicone, epoxy clay, acrylic, aluminum wire, 100 x 35 x 30 cm
Who: Yi To (b. 1995, Hong Kong)
Based in: London
Gallery: Alice Amati in London and Someday Gallery in New York
Why we care: Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, science fiction, physics, forestry, and mycology, Yi To’s paintings often feature a muted palette, reminiscent of gray mold or healing bruises. The artist is fascinated by the ambiguity of primitive forms. Using diluted oil paints, Yi layers images that oscillate between the figurative and the abstract, transcending specific temporal and spatial contexts. Subtle hints of body parts emerge within the paintings, suggesting primordial life. Inspired by cave paintings from around the world, Yi is deeply intrigued by natural textures and surfaces weathered by time. Some architectural elements in her artworks hint at a quest for the sublime. She also creates sculptural installations, juxtaposing depictions of human orifices, like ears, with powerful, cold, rigid metal objects. In her latest works, lines serve as a unifying element. They appear to be pulled, subtly, by unseen hands within the paintings, evoking a shared memory of pain that may be particularly resonant for female viewers.
Originally from Hong Kong, Yi To now lives and works in London. She earned an M.A. in painting from the Royal College of Art, London, and a B.A. in textiles from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Yi has exhibited worldwide, and her recent shows include “Once, Then, Gone” at Newchild Gallery in Antwerp, “The Shape of Time” at Lindon and Co. in London, “Terrain of the Skin” at Hive Centre for Contemporary Art in Beijing, and “Hic Sunt Dracones” at Deli Gallery in Mexico City. She was a finalist for the 2020 Hopper Prize.
Nam Kim
Nam Kim, Like swimming (2023). Photo by Roman März. Courtesy of the artist and Robert Grunenberg.
Who: Nam Kim (b. 1991, U.S.)
Based in: Vienna, Austria
Galleries: Nicolas Krupp, Robert Grunenberg
Why we care: Nam Kim’s colorful paintings have already earned her a solid following in the primary market while she was still studying in Vienna. Born in the U.S. in 1991, Kim moved to South Korea when she was five years old when her family returned to the country. After graduating from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, where she studied painting and art history studies, she furthered her education at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna until last year. Through her enigmatic figurative paintings of nude figures immersed in nature, Kim explores psychology and human relationships. The artist is currently having her solo exhibition “Snakes have legs” at Robert Grunenberg in Berlin, her first in the German capital. The show runs through February 24.