Mingxian Xiang

Mingxian Xiang was born in Guiyang, China, in 1997. She graduated from Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts London in 2023. Mingxian specializes in using opaque watercolor for her illustration works. Her piece Melancholy Life was shortlisted in the Emerging Illustrator category of the V&A Illustration Awards in the UK. Currently, Mingxian is active as an illustrator and 2D animator based in London.


Artist Statement

I have always wanted to be a transmitter of romance, exploring memories I want to cherish through my paintings.

We coexist with so many intricate living beings, and memory serves as the container for our consciousness, storing the faintest connections between people and the social or natural environment. While people may write diaries or take photos, I choose to collect and preserve small fragments of memory by illustrating, allowing these emotions to span time and space. Through simple yet meticulous and gentle storytelling, I aim to convey these memories in an ordinary but profound way.

I specialize in using opaque watercolor as my primary medium, with watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil as secondary tools. Unlike light and airy watercolor works, I aim to express the feeling that "this is from a memory." To achieve this, I deliberately reduce the saturation and contrast in my paintings and blur the edges to evoke a dreamlike, hazy atmosphere. I take a subjective approach to extract emotional tones and emphasize memorable details amidst the complexity of information.


https://mingxianxiang.myportfolio.com/work