Jenny Yu New York CITY, SHANGHAI

Look into that mirror, what do you see?

ARTIST STATEMENT

I make art not merely because I am capable of doing it; I make art because it is something that finds me, connects me, belongs to me, and is an indestructible part of myself.

About Jenny Yu

Jenny is a New York-based artist and creative curator. She specializes in mixed media, oil painting, and digital art—creating work that evokes dreamy introspection and emotional depth.

In addition to her studio practice, Jenny designs immersive art experiences through quarterly workshops and private salons, bringing together professionals, collectors, and curious creatives to connect through creativity. Her large-scale shows have gathered hundreds of guests, and her artwork has been featured in charity auctions alongside established artists.

With a dual background in Economics and Art History from NYU, Jenny bridges the worlds of finance and fine art—offering a unique perspective on beauty, value, and the emotional truths that art can reveal.

Part 1

Art reminds me to breathe, to feel, to decompose my emotions, and to see my true self.

Digital Artworks

STORIES ABOUT MY ART

LUCID DREAMING

I am fascinated by the concept of shadows. Shadows outline the shapes of an object but fill it with voids. On one hand, they reveal the essence of the object. On the other hand, they capture nothing

I started this artwork as an oil painting on canvas and later transformed it into a digital piece. I utilized patterns to capture the compounded effects of color, trying to create an illusion of shadows. Then, I used Procreate to transform this traditional oil painting into a digital work. Digital media allows me to magnify such effects of color through the contradiction in colors and saturation. In this way, I am magnifying both nonexistence and existence.
Fantasy Garden [Oil on canvas; Digital; Acrylic on Glass Wall Art]
I was interested in the patterns and how the color changes with layers. Followed after “LUCID DREAMING”, I started integrating other mediums into traditional paintings. “FANTASY GARDEN” takes the concept of imagination in nonexistence into blooming reality. The surface of glass is one of the best mediums for reflecting light. I decided to create a physical piece, merging the elements of physical paint and digital art to its greatest capacity.
INDIGO MILKY WAY Moving further away from traditional painting to digital art, I started utilizing digital as my only medium. Color combinations and brush strokes allow me to layer all kinds of patterns on the same surface. Gazing into INDIGO MILKY WAY, you can find the nuances in patterns through the finest lines.
UNSETTLING CARE

These digital series depict my mental journey of an experience.

Stage 1: Encounter at the Bar

A glance, a drink, some small talk, a wave of laughter, and a slight touch. They all start like this. It carries no weight and is full of mystery; it’s so simple yet so perfect. Just like this, it begins. Here are the colors of authentic attraction: full of sweetness, warmth, and dreams..

Stage 2: Dreaming at the Pier

At first, I thought this was a lighthearted form of love that is easy to walk away from. Suddenly, I find myself trapped in an illusionary fantasy. “Why does this trigger me so much?” All the sweet talk becomes sharp, colorful arrows, too enchanting to forgo yet still unbearably painful.

Stage 3: Awakening at a Distance

“Is it real?” I ask myself. I see the first ray of sunlight in the room and I find myself waking up from a dream after another sleepless night. I’m probably just over-romanticizing things…

Part 2

Art allows me to decompose my emotions, to seemy true self, and embrace imperfection.

Oil Paintings/ Mixed Media

MY REALIZATION THROUGH ART

YŪGAN 幽玄 describes an untouchable or intangible authenticity of beauty, A beauty that does not literally exist but can be felt within an object. I started this painting during the pandemic in 2020 with unsettling disappointment towards myself. After a year, when I came back to finish the painting, I saw all the lights. I learned and grew from that darktime. Yūgen describes my ideology of beauty as fascination comes with imperfections and imagination.
BLISSFUL SERENITY Commissioned and collected by Melissa Shan and Robin Xue, this painting was inspired by their lively romance. It was made to be the centerpiece of their bedroom, and I intended to present an amusing, glamorous and delightful touch to the space. Their unparalleled chemistry manifests in the the clash of the color dichotomy throughout the canvas.
BLOOMING BREEZE The flowers will bloom again after they wither, the sun will rise again after sunsets, and everything will be better the next day. Pick a flourishing flower in the spring and turn it into a painting, and it would capture its beauty forever.
About Vulnerability
INTROSPECTION The show took the name of this painting because it depicts my first personal connection with Art. Reflecting on my first art exhibition from high school, I realize how much I have grown over the years. The exhibition “Youth” describes my experiencewhen I first realized the differentaspects of the world. That was me moving from a privileged life in Shanghai to an unfamiliar environment in New York. The time I spent on a painting made me realize that youth was not all about being happy, dreamy, and carefree, but also about vulnerability.
ABYSS I don’t see the light at the end ofthe tunnel. My body is swallowed by smoky dark clouds. I keep asking myself whyI just can’t get over the feeling of embarrassment. But whatevermakes me feel painful, overwhelmed, or anxious, it makes me Me. See, there are all those colorful patterns within. I will be ok, eventually, right?
REVEALING THE HIDDEN PAST I tried to avoid it, I tried to run away because I saw the ugly side of the truth. High School was when I realized the things that I was striving towards, that I was holding on to, and expected, did not appear the way I anticipated. Family background, appearances, and resources are all parts of me that define who I am. That’s when I see the complication of the world which was like a huge hand pulling my eyes open to make me face things I was too fragile to handle.
METALLIC CRASH illustrates a disturbing feeling of infatuation entangled with fear. It depicts an attraction that pulls two people to each other, with a sudden strong repulse at the moment before they reach each other. The vibrant contrasts of color and chaotic lines respect an inner conflict of wanting to get closer but fearing to reach out.
About the little things in life that make you feel..
APRICITY: The warmth of the Sun in winter. I would often sit on the balcony couch of my brother’s, listen to the water dripping down the fountain, and watch the color of the sky change from blue, to rainbow, to flaming red and then darkness. Sometimes a sunset takes hours, and sometimes it lasts only a couple minutes. I would always sit for the warm sun to kiss my skin, it’s the nature spreading me love and care.
FLEEING MORPHO 化蝶, what a glamorous and graceful life. This painting depicts the growth of a cocoon into a mature stage of its lifecycle. Inspired by the Chinese classic literature “The Butterfly Lovers: Leon and Jo”, it also represents the spirit of the two characters who are in love. They are not able to be together in the real life so they transform into butterflies and stay together forever spiritually. An evolution from a physical level and enlightening to an intellectual level.
AQUA can be derived from the deepest oceans, the highest skies, and from each individual’s body. Aqua symbolizes fluidity and implies human interconnection with our life species in this existing ecosystem. Aqua is also the color of the water. Beyond self-centered, nation-centered, and human-centered narratives, water reveals that human beings are indeed interdependent and inter-allied; they seem so insignificant to notice but nowhere apart in life.
SWEET SURGE If love were a color, I think it would be pink; maybe it will come with flaming red, dreamy purple, and a drip of chocolate…
FLOWING LILIUM Do you feel the breeze? It’s a lily flowing with the stream, drifting along the predetermined path in the vast ocean. It is so insignificant and yet so free. It is a small life appreciating their existence in the world.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTING ARTWORKS

instagram: @jenny_yuyimin @y._jpg

"Introspection": My Debut Art Art Show and What it Means to Me