Art Salon: On the documentary about artists of Chinese descent in B.C.

IN THE BEGINNING – PAINTINGS AND FILMS BY JIA DUAN

Artist Salon: In-Depth Dialogue and Exchange

To explore Jia Duan's artistic philosophy and creative process more deeply, two special artist salon events will be held during the exhibition. We cordially invite everyone to participate and exchange ideas.

The second salon, introducing the project "A Documentary Portraying a Group of Young Chinese Painters in British Columbia," will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Jia Duan, a filmmaker, animator, and professor with twenty years of experience traveling between East and West, will explain the characteristics of documentaries, introduce her documentary concept for a portrait of Chinese artists, particularly the artistic journeys and works of young artists, and their current life situations. She will also discuss the feasibility of this project. All artists interested in this project are welcome to attend; we look forward to your participation and exchange. Merry Christmas!

Please register at https://duansalon2.eventbrite.ca. Tickets are CAD$10 per person (including refreshments and parking).

Lipont Gallery is honoured to present Vancouver-based artist Jia Duan’s comprehensive art exhibition, a profound journey spanning media, blending East and West. Jia Duan, an international artist who is a scholar, painter, animator, filmmaker, and writer, constructs for us a poetic, symbolic, and spiritually radiant art world through her unique perspective and outstanding artistic practice.

Jia Duan’s artistic career is a path of self-realization—”making painting flow, integrating it with music, and expressing the poetic realm.” From his early years teaching at the Beijing Film Academy, her 3D art film Lotus won numerous international awards and was permanently collected by the National Film Museum of China and the French Cinematheque, demonstrating her outstanding achievements in the fusion of time and space art. Lotus, using the lotus flower as a symbol, blends Chinese painting aesthetics with Western Impressionist music, a poetic symbolic expression about the rebirth of the soul. From the paper-cut animation Starry Dream to the Japanese-style The Story of the Red Candle and the Mermaid, and from the 3D Lotus to the documentary Diary for Swan Lake, each work is a successful innovative practice.

Jia Duan studied painting from a young age, growing up among art masters of different styles. After moving to Canada in 2015, she began a transformation and a return to herself in the tranquility of the forests and bays of North Vancouver. Jia Duan’s paintings emphasize a localized, spontaneous expression. From Girl on the Seabus and My Ophelia Garden, to the Portrait of the Fairy series, The Legend of Spring, and Gaia’s Morning, a clear exploration and transformation of her artistic language is evident. From figurative to variant to abstract, culminating in In the Beginning and Dance of Light, each work reflects her capture of inspiration and her wondrous understanding of the beauty of creation.

Jia Duan’s art, whether in film or painting, maintains a consistent inner spirit. During the pandemic, she began studying theology, which further illuminated and elevated her expression of life and art. Her art is characterized by aestheticism as its foundation, naturalism as its vocabulary, and a touch of mysticism shining through poetic symbolism, showcasing her relentless pursuit of a spiritual path that transcends the mundane.

In this exhibition, Jia Duan’s paintings and films will complement each other, providing viewers with the best way to comprehensively understand her artistic creation. We invite you to join us in this exhibition constructed by the veteran artist Jia Duan, exploring the theme “God is Good, and Creation is…” The Art World of “Beautiful!”

Exhibition Dates: Dec 10 - 19, 2025
Hours: Daily 10 AM – 5 PM.
Address: Lipont Place, Room 218 (no elevator), 4211 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC, V6X 2C3
Admission: Free
Parking: Free on the south side of the building only.
Transit: Aberdeen Station
Contact: www.lipontgallery.ca, 604-285-9975

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