Ebullient, compelling brushwork appears throughout Jeana Zhenyu Zhang’s practice in her first solo presentation with VillageOneArt this Fall.
The exhibition, titled “Arising and Passing,” displays recent delicate and elevated paintings through October 24, 2026. The works balance abstraction with representational approaches, drawing from Zhang’s training in both Eastern and Western traditions. She employs acrylic paint and ink washes on wood, canvas, and retted flax, creating hybrid composites reflecting her cross-cultural experience in China and the United States.
Zhang intentionally returned to ink painting, reconnecting with her academic roots. As she notes: “I was in search of a medium that could best serve me, so I decided to trace back to my earlier training and my roots.”
By incorporating heated metallic compounds into acrylic paint layered with ink, Zhang merges traditional methods with innovative approaches. She builds suspense through painted and inked layers, manipulating wet medium across tilted surfaces to form new compositional elements. Her presentation demonstrates how classical training combined with contemporary methods produces distinctive artistry.
Jeana Zhang was born in Dalian, China, in 1995 and currently resides in New York. She holds an MFA from Parsons School of Design, a BFA from California College of the Arts, and completed foundational studies at Alfred University. Early training encompassed calligraphy and Chinese ink painting.
Zhang’s practice investigates material relationships between fluid ink and opaque acrylic, rejecting traditional medium specificity. She physically manipulates canvas orientations while considering gravity and pigment interactions, developing an aesthetic of “controlled contingency.” Her work functions as a meditation on cross-cultural memory and geopolitical inquiry.
Works in the Exhibition
Drifting and Flowing 1, 2026Acrylic on canvas · 24 × 48″ InquireDrifting and Flowing 2, 2026Acrylic on canvas · 24 × 48″ InquireLeaves to Dust 1, 2026Acrylic on canvas · 30 × 40″ InquireLeaves to Dust 2, 2026Acrylic on canvas · 30 × 40″ InquireAs Reflection, 2026Acrylic on linen · 36 × 48″ InquireSeeing Through, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 48 × 72″ InquireInextricably Intertwined, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 48 × 72″ InquireTangled, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 48 × 72″ InquireEarthly Dust, 2024Acrylic on canvas · 48 × 60″ InquireKnot of Circumstances, 2026Acrylic on canvas · 60 × 72″ InquireRockery 1, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 40 × 30″ InquireRockery 2, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 40 × 30″ InquireRockery 3, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 40 × 30″ InquireRockery 4, 2025Acrylic on canvas · 40 × 30″ InquireSavoring 1, 2026Acrylic on linen with gold leaf · 20 × 20″ InquireSavoring 2, 2026Acrylic on linen with gold leaf · 20 × 20″ InquireSavoring 3, 2026Acrylic on linen with gold leaf · 20 × 20″ InquireSavoring 4, 2026Acrylic on linen with gold leaf · 20 × 20″ InquireSavoring 5, 2026Acrylic on linen with gold leaf · 20 × 20″ InquireSavoring 6, 2026Acrylic on linen with gold leaf · 20 × 20″ InquireKarmic Encounter 1, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 2, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 3, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 4, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 5, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 6, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 7, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 8, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireKarmic Encounter 9, 2026Ink on wood · 12 × 12″ InquireGradations of Ink 1, 2025Ink on wood · 5 × 5″ InquireGradations of Ink 2, 2025Ink on wood · 5 × 5″ InquireGradations of Ink 3, 2025Ink on wood · 5 × 5″ InquireGradations of Ink 4, 2025Ink on wood · 5 × 5″ Inquire
Installation Views
Installation view, Arising and Passing, VillageOneArt, New York, 2026Installation view, Arising and Passing, VillageOneArt, New York, 2026
Arising and Passing opens September 3 and remains on view at VillageOneArt, 150 West 25th Street, Suite 403, New York, through October 24, 2026. For inquiries regarding available works by Jeana Zhenyu Zhang, please contact info@villageoneart.com.
