Today we’d like to introduce you to Xiangni Song.
Hi Xiangni, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Beijing, China. I began making simple line drawings at the age of three. Observing and drawing the objects in my life captivated my attention. My father is an artist (before and currently), and I learned to draw primarily from him. My parents and I decided that I should study the arts further in the future. After graduating from a typical middle school, I attended The Attached Middle School to The Central Academy of Art & Design in Beijing, a school that teaches the traditional art and Liberal arts. My interest in character design, animation, and illustration increased. I attended the School of Visual Arts and majored in illustration before staying in New York City. As Covid hits New York City, I spend more time at my apartment. I completed ten paintings and grew desperate to pursue something new. I greatly appreciated my family’s support and the decision to enroll in an MFA program at Pratt Institute. During my enrollment, I met many amazing artists and learned more about the arts than I ever imagined.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I had difficulty transitioning from illustration to fine arts. Typically, the illustration has a clear purpose: to help the reader with understanding. Sometimes, non-commercial illustrations resemble narrative art. However, they differ overall. There was no apparent distinction between illustration and fine arts. I had difficulty deciding which illustration techniques to accept and implement in my fine arts work. The struggle required to create art should never cease.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Creating new work is difficult. I typically create numerous sketches before beginning a project. It has never been difficult for me to generate fresh ideas or topics, but rather to implement them. I have been doing random ink drawings in my sketchbooks weekly. The content is always centered on my life experiences and emotions. As long as I live, I will see, do, and experience things. However, it gets tough when it comes to completing work, such as an oil painting. Sometimes I can work on three paintings simultaneously and complete them all within two months. Occasionally, however, I can only complete 80% of a painting and am unable to continue. Reading books, viewing films and animated films, and observing notable pieces of art are crucial to my creative process. They allow me to settle down and be excited about creating art.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
One: I enjoy all types of animals. I once had five dogs and two cats as a child. I now have two cats and a dog in Beijing and three birds in New York.
Two: I still enjoy creating digital illustrations, despite the fact that my professional prospects as an illustrator are less promising than they are as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: xiangnisong.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catcantspeak/
Image Credits
Pratt_xns: Pratt MFA Thesis show, Xiangni, and her paintings and ceramics 2022 Spring/Break: Heterotopic Home: A Familiar Site of daily life,” curated by Milly Cai Gemma Cirignano and Madi Shenk, at New York’s SPRING/BREAK Art Show 2022 villageoneart 2022: Contours and Crevices, Group show at Village One Art Gallery 2022 cantseeit: Can’t See It, oil on canvas board, 16 x 12″, framed, 2022 catcantalk: Cat Can Talk, oil on canvas, 24 x 18″, 2022
