Opening Reception: Friday, November 2, 5-8PM
November 2 – December 30, 2018

William Shakespeare once stated that “the eyes are a window into the soul.” As a woman, I was always told to keep my eyes calm, settled, and assuring, while letting my smile do all the talking. Always avoiding the abruptness of famously expressive “China-man’s” acute smile and overly expressive eyes.

In reality my laughter is big. And my eyes reflect this.

The rethinking of the eyes of significant faces that define women in art history these works are examining the smile itself as a boundary. Their smiling eyes forcing further ambiguity of their emotions and testing whether the audience is friend or foe. The perplexing character they extol guarding with glee over all they survey. No longer muted by the question of their smile.

Artist Bio:

Chinese born and Michigan based visual artist, Ziui Chen Vance is bridging new territories between calligraphy, painting and design. As a contemporary descendent of a long line of calligraphy masters, including Chang DaQian, XU Bing, and Qi Bashi, among others, Ziui, engages the historic lines and visual ambience of the classic china composition, while embarking on the sublime in her representation of the smiling faces of women that dominate art history.

Artist Description:

As an artist and designer with 25 years of calligraphy training, and a partner in UVXYZI focused on establishing socio-spatial equilibriums through design. Ziui’s interests are in imagining new objects based on the visual language of emotions. The new objects contrast reality in scale, assimilating the audience into the character of subtle gestures. Ziui has previously utilized this mode of thinking during her career in product placement and retail design, working with a variety of internationally renowned companies to perfect their visual brand. Most notably are Lining sportswear, EbayChina, and Seimens (New Jersey) where she worked on domestic interface systems. Ziui completed a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design from Tsinghua University and a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan Stamps College of Art and Design where she was awarded a research fellowship to investigate product design interface systems for visually impaired persons. Additionally, she has prior studies in Painting from the Sichuan Fine Arts Academy and has participated in numerous showings for national and international galleries in China, France, Russia, Michigan, and New Jersey.