Ruizi Wang, born in China in 2001, is currently studying MA Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art.

My work is deeply personal, always drawing from the depths of my own heart, fuelled by my exploration of emotions, memories and fantasies.I am always striving to capture the subtle changes within myself, the invisible flow of emotions, and the ineffable moments of time through my paintbrushes.This way of creation is almost a dialogue with myself, a figurative expression of my emotions and inner world.I never pursue the reduction of the real world, but try to build a spiritual world that belongs to me only through my works, in which the chaos and pain of reality are filtered out and kept away, and replaced by tranquility, peace and purity.This kind of construction is not only an artistic creation, but also a spiritual escape and healing, which allows me to find a place where I can put the soft part of my heart.

In my artistic creation, that world that belongs to me is almost boundless in its warmth and harmony.It is not as complicated and chaotic as the real world we live in, but an ideal land woven by childish innocence and fantasy.There are no painful nightmares or harsh realities to oppress; there are only birdsong and gentle breezes.And in this ideal world, I was like a carefree child, whispering and singing in this oasis of tranquillity, as if everything in the world had slowed down, and all the strife, noise, conflict and unrest were far away from me.In this world, everything is so pure and light, like a dream in the deepest part of my heart, and that carefree time seems to have returned to my childhood, and my creations also unfold in that innocence and fearlessness.

The way I present my work is also driven by this inner emotion.I like to use a cartoonish style to express the shape of my inner world.Compared to real-life human faces, the characters and objects are often exaggerated and simplified, with a sense of childlike fun and lightness, and bright and cheerful colours.Each character is full of vigour, but not from a traditional realistic approach, but through exaggeration, distortion and a high degree of simplification to express my understanding and presentation of emotions.Whether it is the lines, the colours or the composition, they all display a naive and spontaneous aesthetic that does not rely on complex techniques, but rather stems from my truest and most primitive perception of the inner world.

In my works, apart from myself, there are almost no other real and figurative characters.There are no complicated human interactions in this world, only stars, the moon, and talking animals, all of which are my companions in the spiritual world, wandering with me in this carefree fantasy world.Through these fantasy characters, I am able to dialogue with myself, express the loneliness and warmth in my heart, and appease my deepest fears and insecurities.Relationships between people are often full of complex and difficult entanglements, and this complexity often makes me feel anxious and exhausted.Therefore, I intentionally avoid these interpersonal disputes in my creations, and try my best to keep myself away from the complexities and conflicts of the real world, returning to a simpler and purer state.This avoidance is not an escape, but a spiritual rebirth, a true call to the heart, an exploration and washing of my inner self.

My creative inspiration comes from a chance encounter in my life – insomnia triggered by a cup of tea.This insomnia experience seems to be ordinary, but it became the starting point for me to enter the world of fantasy.At that time, the whole night was long and silent, with only my own lonely figure, accompanied by the breeze outside the window and the occasional birdsong in the distance.I began to fantasise in the sleepless night, building one fairy tale after another in my mind.During those sleepless hours, the stars and the moon changed from unattainable celestial bodies to my close friends, who quietly accompanied me through those long nights, bringing me comfort and strength.From then on, it was as if a crack had been opened in the world of fantasy, which continued to expand, eventually merging the real world with the realm of illusion.In the process, I never regarded them as distant existences, but brought them into my life and mind, becoming the warmest companion in my heart.

The colours in my work are often full of intense vitality.In the early days, I tended to use extremely saturated colours in my works, striving to convey my inner excitement and impulses through bright, tension-filled hues.However, with the accumulation of creative experience, I gradually found that such extreme saturation was not enough to highlight the focus of the picture.Therefore, I began to adjust the way I used colours – keeping the colours of the main subject highly saturated, and lowering the saturation of the colours of other elements, making the background elements softer and quieter, so that the main subject in the picture would be more prominent, and the expression of emotions would be more profound and intuitive.Nevertheless, whether it is the highly saturated colours or the low saturated background colours, I always insist on the diversity and richness of colours, and this kind of colourfulness fits my deepest thoughts and themes, and shows my love for life and pursuit of an ideal world.

In my works, scene setting has always been an important part.In the early days, I tended to set the background in the private and cosy space of a room.Bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, etc., are my usual scenes.These backgrounds are full of security and comfort; they represent my sense of belonging to my home and my desire for warmth.In these spaces, I express my inner softest feelings to the fullest, to present those unspeakable moments and emotions.However, as my work progressed, I began to fantasise about more expansive backgrounds – dark nights, vast meadows, the boundless earth under the starry sky.The changes in these backgrounds signalled the expansion and deepening of my inner world.The originally closed, private space began to extend outward, gradually becoming more open and mysterious.This also symbolises that my mind has begun to break through the limitations and spread its wings to a wider sky and future.

All in all, my creation is not only a kind of artistic expression, but also a process of exploring my inner self and releasing my mind.From the initial exploration of my inner self to the later construction of a fantasy world, I have gradually formed a pure and profound creative language.My works are not only a longing for the fairy tale world, but also a kind of spiritual healing, which enables me to find a peaceful pure land in this hustle and bustle of the real world.This creative process has also made me understand more about the importance of self-expression, and that only through art can I truly touch my innermost feelings and thoughts.I believe that this kind of exploration and creation will never stop, because it represents my unique understanding of the world and the expression of my emotions.