Ruoyu Gong (b. 1999, Beijing, China) is a New York-based painter. His work delves into the complexity of the human psyche through figurative narrative in the theme of personal symbolism. Currently pursuing his MFA in painting at the esteemed New York Academy of Art, Ruoyu earned his BFA with honors in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2023. In 2021, he received the certificate of Advanced Painting Seminar at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China. His work has been featured in exhibitions internationally. Recent exhibitions include Evolving Identities, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York, NY (2024); Beyond Boundaries, Artsinsquare, Online (2024); AXA Art Prize, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY (2024); Tribeca Ball, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY (2024); International Contest of Contemporary Art – YICCA 23/24, Matalon Foundation, Milan, Italy (2024); Deck the Walls, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY (2023); Why Do You Do It?, Boomer Gallery, London, UK (2023); Illustration Senior Invitational, ISB Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (2023); No Longer Transparent, Gelman Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (2022). In addition, Ruoyu has won awards including the Patron’s Scholar Award, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY (2024-25); Merit Scholarship, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY (2024-25, 2023-24); 1st Place of the International Contest of Contemporary Art – YICCA 23/24, Milan, Italy (2023-24).

Can you share a bit about your background and how you began your artistic journey?

I was born and raised in Beijing, China, and I currently live in New Jersey. I discovered my passion for art when I was around five years old. My parents were very supportive of my passion for art and sent me to art classes in Beijing. As my devotion to painting and drawing grew, I began attending higher-level courses focusing on observational drawing and color theory. 

At the age of fourteen, I embarked on an art education journey in the US. I attended the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, where I took various visual art courses such as painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and many other art history and theory courses. This experience broadened my scope of artistic practice and buttressed my ambition to become a professional artist in the future. 

From 2018 to 2023, I attended the Rhode Island School of Design and earned my BFA degree with honors in the Illustration department. My undergraduate study at RISD was a fruitful journey on which I learned to combine my artistic skills with my personal voice, allowing me to create more ambitious artworks. 

In 2020, due to Covid, I returned to my hometown, Beijing, for a year. I studied in an Advanced Painting Seminar at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing during this time. Immersed in advanced artistic training from observation, I strengthened my painting skills in figurative articulation. More importantly, my stay in China that year allowed me to reexamine my focus as a contemporary Chinese painter. 

I am currently pursuing my MFA degree in painting at the New York Academy of Art. The school is renowned for its commitment to teaching representational figurative art and fostering active critical discourse. During my graduate study, I have immensely benefited from NYAA’s academic rigor and conceptual explorations, which have pushed me to experiment with unique ways in which I push the boundaries of conventional representational paintings. 

What keeps you inspired and motivated to create new work?

I am interested in unveiling the complexity of my psyche through art. Examining the depth of my unconscious psyche is the driving force behind my artistic creations. To me, each work is a visual manifestation of an aspect of my psychological landscape. I always discover something subtly new about my unconscious mind that usually remains hidden beneath the surface of daily life. Such discoveries inspire me to create new work, allowing me to develop a more comprehensive understanding of myself. 

How has your artistic style evolved over time?

In the past ten years, I have been predominantly influenced by Western old masters such as Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Rubens. My training was centered around representational figurative art, which emphasizes anatomical accuracy, color harmony, spatial clarity, etc. During this time, I mainly used the time-consuming technique of glazing. 

After I moved to New York two years ago, I started exploring ways to deviate from the classical Western artistic canon. I’m more captivated by the process of seizing and relinquishing control over oil paint. 

Currently, I paint in alla prima and distort the human figure in ways that reveal my underlying mood. In addition, I take inspiration from monotype printmaking, where less premeditated motifs give rise to amorphous figures that hover on the edge of entropy. As representational narratives begin to emerge, I continue to develop them through detailed studies and iterations, resulting in a final painting in which the inherent tension between control and serendipity is never fully resolved.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

I think creativity is the culmination of all art fields. What I find most rewarding about being a creative painter is that the painting process allows me to take on other creative roles. 

To me, contemporary painting is about idiosyncratically pushing the boundary of convention. To do that, painters need to familiarize themselves with other creative disciplines. 

For example, when sketching new ideas about a new painting, I am as much a painter as a graphic designer, choreographing formal elements to create visual hierarchies. When refining my composition, I am as much a painter as a movie director, manipulating spatial dynamics to engage with the viewers. When articulating forms on a large canvas, I am as much a painter as a sculptor, constructing the human figure with volumetric precision. The combination of all these artistic disciplines lies in the value of creativity. 

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?

The main challenge I face is the willingness to step completely outside of my comfort zone, such as trying out new techniques, materials, surfaces, etc. Especially as someone who spent a decade training representational painting skills, the technique became a double-edged sword that set me free in the beginning but confined me as I tried to imbue the work with my personality. 

Relying solely on technique is a form of staying within a comfort zone. It would relegate the creative process to a formulaic rendering of semiotics. I find a good way to overcome the fear of trying new approaches is to bounce ideas off of other artists whose work is very different from mine. These types of intellectual exchange usually shed light on new perspectives in my own work, helping me broaden the limitations I “imposed” upon myself. 

What advice would you give to emerging artists looking to establish themselves?

I think it is very important for emerging artists to spend enough time developing an artistic language that is not easily swayed by others’ preferences. This time frame varies for different artists. For some, it may take less than a year, while for others, it may take many years. On top of this, the condition of the environment could pose various challenges for the artist. Take New York City as an example. While artists love New York for its ample opportunity, New York simultaneously bombards artists with information to the point of chaos. Therefore, spending high-quality time refining our artistic voice is essential. This process can seem daunting because an artist’s development isn’t always linear. However, it will be the most crucial foundation for the longevity of an artist’s professional career.

Text & photo courtesy of Ruoyu Gong

Website: https://www.ruoyugong.com
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