Artist Series: Meet Xing Gan
Xing Gan is an artist in Johannesburg. She is Head of Branding, Marketing and PR at UnionPay International Africa Office and currently studying towards a MBA at GIBS.
Xing will be one of the artists featured in the ORIENTation: The diaspora of East Asian identities in South Africa exhibition taking place in Johannesburg later this year.
Read more about why Xing, when and why she became an artist and what inspires her.
"Keep creating! Art is the expression coming from your heart, and it’s important to express through your creations. It makes us who we are and helps us to connect with the world." ~ Xing Gan
Name: Xing Gan Occupation: Head: Branding, Marketing and PR, UnionPay International Africa Office. I’m currently studying towards a MBA at GIBS.
Where were you born? Where do you live now?
I was born in China and now living in Johannesburg, South Africa for over 20 years.
When did you become an artist? What is your speciality?
I started sketching from a young age, and stopped to create for a long time. I never really considered myself as an artist only until a couple of years ago when I hit an emotional dead- end, I picked up painting to distract myself from the issues and healed by it.
I do realism watercolour paintings. Traditionally watercolour is perceived to be translucent and weak. I want to demonstrate that watercolour, although perceived as fragile, while can create a strong message that resonates with a broad audience and context. I draw my inspiration from contemporary social topics both east and west, that captures emotions and express my identity as an immigrated first generation South African Chinese.
What art training/studying did you have or were you self-taught?
I leant online mainly from Anna Mason, an award-winning passionate watercolour professional, that drew inspiration from nature.
Why did you become an artist?
I believe there is an artist living in everyone. I think it’s the time to release mine to the wild that can bravely express my emotions and messages that potentially make positive impact and brings people together.
What inspires you as an artist? Are there any artists that you admire?
The unique experience I had as a first generation Chinese and living in a foreign country where I call home, I see things from different perspective and understand culture diversity in different lenses. Everyday life inspires me, people inspire me. Art from the heart will resonate with other hearts.
James Delaney is one of the South African artists inspired me a lot. He is well known for his contemporary art with fascination of downtown historic Johannesburg and the natural. He also contributed his wild animal sculpture to revive a previously neglected park on the edge of downtown Johannesburg which he has rehabilitated.
Please tell us about your art, for the upcoming exhibition? What do you hope to achieve through your artwork?
I will be creating a body of work, that through hand symbolism to create a platform for open conversations.
In different cultures, our hand gestures may look the same but meant differently. Usually we rely on our cultures and past experiences to judge the meaning of a hand gesture. Misunderstanding formed when we lack information from another culture, as we make judgements simply based on our own culture and experiences.
The underlying meaning of this series: we can all learn to count with our hands in different cultures, as long as we interact and learn from one another, we can have more when we are united as one.
Why do you think that this exhibition is so important?
This exhibition opens a floor for the first time in South Africa, to raise awareness regarding Chinese South African’s rich history & identity, reflect the identity, individualism and diversity; at the same time provide a platform for conversation, creating dialogue and to enable the community to respond and participate more broadly. We have a group of talented artists specialised with different medium to participate this exhibition. We have a blend of East Asia-ness and South Africa-ness in us, and each of us brings a unique piece of truth and diversity to the table. It is very interesting to see how these different voices come together in one platform.
What advice would you give to young aspiring artists in South Africa?
Keep creating! Art is the expression coming from your heart, and it’s important to express through your creations. It makes us who we are and helps us to connect with the world.
Want to contact Xing?
Follow Xing on Instagram here
