Ying Huang is a Manchurian-born Chinese Australian painter and printmaker. Known for her unique style of screenprinting that is directly etched onto raw steel metal, Huang’s work has been exhibited throughout Australia and in Hong Kong and Scotland. She was commissioned artist and has won awards from Print Council of Australia, the Victorian Flanagan Art Prize (Ballarat) and RMIT University Student Prize. In 2016, she was commissioned by Melbourne’s City of Yarra to create a six-walled mural representing its multicultural community.
Huang conceptualises a political art movement that she has termed Polipanda or Political Pop Propaganda Art. Polipanda is a hybrid practice combining political propaganda art and pop art explores how history is manipulated through mass media images and challenges us to rethink notions of authenticity and originality. Inspired by iconic images from film, photography, other cultural media and everyday life and personal experiences Huang recontextualises these images through her own lived experience of a negotiated cultural identity. Although often still recognisable, the images are unsettling, providing only a trace or imprint of their origins, their meaning altered and taking on a life of their own.
Her current work continues to satirise popular culture and political history. This work finds inspiration from Rose O’Neill’s Kewpie Doll, a character who is “a sort of little round fairy [and] whose…idea is to teach people to be merry and kind at the same time.” Huang inverts its optimism through its uncanny mischief by appropriating the ‘pie’ of kewpie. This series, which she terms as ‘Political-pie’, includes producing caricatures of notorious and influential political leaders such as Donald Trump (‘Trump-pie’), Kim Jong-Il (‘Kim-pie’) and Malcolm Turnbull (‘Malcolm-pie’). Huang’s work is playful, rebellious, humorous, yet provides unflinching and unapologetic commentary on the world of mass media images in which we live. She takes viewers on a light-hearted tour of the art world, prompting us to re-encounter our taken-for-granted experiences of ‘art’, everyday life, and popular culture.
Before Huang settled in Melbourne in 2005 she has lived and travelled in many counties throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East working as scuba diving instructor and teacher. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) at RMIT in 2014.
It was during her last year of study at RMIT that Huang developed and originated her unique style of steel metal work that combines numerous traditional printmaking methods in one plate. She uses the same raw steel metal that manufacturers use to make cars. She etches the steel plate like a copper plate and then screen print the image directly onto the steel surface, similar to how traditional print making uses the copper plate to print images onto paper. Sometimes, she also digitally prints the image onto the steel. She also explores work on brushed aluminium, a medium that allows its colour and texture to illuminate the image itself.
Huang describes her steel metal works thus: “I’ve always loved textured surfaces, the aged and corroded look. My mission is to create prints that possess the quality of paintings, to blur some boundaries from prints to paintings. All my steel metal works actually has a super smooth surface although they look opposite because I sand prime the plate surface very carefully before they being printed”.
FINALIST
2019 Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT
2018 Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT
2017 Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, TAS
2016 Moreton Bay Regional Art Award, NSW
2015 M Collection Art Award, VIC
2015 Linden Postcard Show, VIC
2015 The Flanagan Art Prize, Ballarat
2015 Wyndham Art Prize, VIC
2015 The Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh, Scotland
2014 Senini Art Award, McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery, Langwarrin, VIC
2014 M Collection Art Award, VIC
2014 Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award, WA
2014 The Flanagan Art prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat
2014 Swan Hill Print & Drawing Acquisitive Awards, VIC
2014 Alice Art Prize, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2013 Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania
2013, 2012, 2011 The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat
2011 Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery Ballarat
2011 Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW
2011 Geelong Acquisitive Print Award, Geelong Gallery
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Print Council of Australia
Murray Art Museum Albury
Melbourne Grammar School
Curtin University, WA
National Art School, NSW
St Patrick's College, Ballarat
WA National Art School Sydney
AWARDS & COMMISSIONS
2016 City of Yarra Public Commission
2015 Print Council of Australia, PCA Imprint
2015 Tertiary Student Prize
2014 Winner Doll House Studio Award RMIT
2013 Winner Magnani Papers Student Award RMIT
2011 Winner The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat
EXHIBITIONS
Geelong Acquisitive Print Award, Geelong Gallery 2011
Toyota Undergraduate, Toyota Spirit Gallery, VIC 2011
Colleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW 2011
Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2011
Primary Processes, Open Space Gallery, VIC 2012
The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat 2013, 2012, 2011
Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania 2013
A Tale of Two Cities, Print Institution Hong Kong, 2013
Senini Art Award, McClelland Sculpture Par & Gallery, VIC 2014
Central Station, Glasgow, Scotland 2014
4AA4, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, NSW 2014
Lightspace Projects, RMIT School Gallery, VIC 2014
Identity, Port Jackson Press Gallery, VIC 2014
Swan Hill Print & Drawing Acquisitive Award, Swan Hill Gallery, VIC 2014
Alice Art Prize, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Sprints NT 2014
Winter Salon, Collingwood Gallery, VIC 2014
LWOO, Port Jackson Press, Port Jackson Press Gallery, VIC 2014
The Great Leader Series, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC 2014
The Comfort Zone, Gasworks Arts Part, VIC 2014
Little Wonder II, Beth Hulme Gallery, VIC 2015
Magical, Neospace Gallery, VIC 2015
Australia Print Triennial-15 Young Emerging Australian Artist, The Art Vault, Mildura 2015
From Polipanda With Love! Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC 2015
Linden Postcard Show, VIC 2015
The Mcollection Art Award, Gallerysmith Project Space, VIC 2015
The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat 2015
Editions 2015 annual print exhibition, TACIT Contemporary Art Gallery, VIC 2015
Supergraph, Royal Exhibition Building Carlton, VIC 2015
Home Free, Gasworks Arts Pat, VIC 2015
The ‘90’ Port Jackson Press, Port Jackson Press Gallery, VIC 2015
The Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh, Scotland 2015
Belle Arti prize, Chapman & Bailey Gallery, VIC 2016
The Flanagan Art Prize exhibition, St Patrick’s College, Ballarat 2016
Print Council of Australia celebrate over the past 50 years commissioned prints, NKN gallery, Melbourne 2016
Icons Uncovered, No Vacancy gallery, Melbourne 2016
Moreton Bay Region Art Award, Pine Rivers Art Gallery, NSW 2016
The Wild, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC 2016
My Name is Polipanda-Retrospective, TACIT Contemporary Art, VIC 2016
Editions, TACIT Contemporary Art, VIC 2016
Australia Post Art Prize, 69 Smith Street Gallery, VIC 2016
Creatures Exhibiton, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff 2016
Fifty Shades of Blank, Black Dot Gallery, VIC 2016
Darebin Art Salon, Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, VIC 2016
First Birthday Celebration Exhibition, Q Bank artists group, VIC 2017
Litho Mono Screen & Unique state Exhibition, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff 2017
Everyday Life, BlackCat Gallery, VIC 2017
Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania 2017
PG Printmaker Gallery, VIC 2017
Editions, TACIT Contemporary Art, VIC 2017
Beauty of Beast, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff, 2018
Edition 18, TACIT Art Gallery, VIC, 2018
Beautiful Banal, Off The Kerb Gallery, Vic, 2018
Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT, 2018
Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT, 2019
Albert Park Art Show, VIC, 2020
Spring Show, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2020
50square show, Brunswick Street Gallery, VIC, 2021
Camberwell Art Show, VIC, 2021
Mid summer show, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2021
Albert Park Art Show, VIC, 2021
Christmas show, Brunswick Street Gallery, VIC, 2021
Red retroshow, Red Gallery, VIC, 2022
Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2022
Affordable art exhibition, Space 2 Design, VIC 2023
The end of year show, Little bird Gallery, VIC 2023
Solo show, Red Gallery, VIC, 2023
Mid Summer show, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2024
Huang conceptualises a political art movement that she has termed Polipanda or Political Pop Propaganda Art. Polipanda is a hybrid practice combining political propaganda art and pop art explores how history is manipulated through mass media images and challenges us to rethink notions of authenticity and originality. Inspired by iconic images from film, photography, other cultural media and everyday life and personal experiences Huang recontextualises these images through her own lived experience of a negotiated cultural identity. Although often still recognisable, the images are unsettling, providing only a trace or imprint of their origins, their meaning altered and taking on a life of their own.
Her current work continues to satirise popular culture and political history. This work finds inspiration from Rose O’Neill’s Kewpie Doll, a character who is “a sort of little round fairy [and] whose…idea is to teach people to be merry and kind at the same time.” Huang inverts its optimism through its uncanny mischief by appropriating the ‘pie’ of kewpie. This series, which she terms as ‘Political-pie’, includes producing caricatures of notorious and influential political leaders such as Donald Trump (‘Trump-pie’), Kim Jong-Il (‘Kim-pie’) and Malcolm Turnbull (‘Malcolm-pie’). Huang’s work is playful, rebellious, humorous, yet provides unflinching and unapologetic commentary on the world of mass media images in which we live. She takes viewers on a light-hearted tour of the art world, prompting us to re-encounter our taken-for-granted experiences of ‘art’, everyday life, and popular culture.
Before Huang settled in Melbourne in 2005 she has lived and travelled in many counties throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle East working as scuba diving instructor and teacher. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) at RMIT in 2014.
It was during her last year of study at RMIT that Huang developed and originated her unique style of steel metal work that combines numerous traditional printmaking methods in one plate. She uses the same raw steel metal that manufacturers use to make cars. She etches the steel plate like a copper plate and then screen print the image directly onto the steel surface, similar to how traditional print making uses the copper plate to print images onto paper. Sometimes, she also digitally prints the image onto the steel. She also explores work on brushed aluminium, a medium that allows its colour and texture to illuminate the image itself.
Huang describes her steel metal works thus: “I’ve always loved textured surfaces, the aged and corroded look. My mission is to create prints that possess the quality of paintings, to blur some boundaries from prints to paintings. All my steel metal works actually has a super smooth surface although they look opposite because I sand prime the plate surface very carefully before they being printed”.
FINALIST
2019 Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT
2018 Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT
2017 Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, TAS
2016 Moreton Bay Regional Art Award, NSW
2015 M Collection Art Award, VIC
2015 Linden Postcard Show, VIC
2015 The Flanagan Art Prize, Ballarat
2015 Wyndham Art Prize, VIC
2015 The Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh, Scotland
2014 Senini Art Award, McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery, Langwarrin, VIC
2014 M Collection Art Award, VIC
2014 Fremantle Arts Centre Print Award, WA
2014 The Flanagan Art prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat
2014 Swan Hill Print & Drawing Acquisitive Awards, VIC
2014 Alice Art Prize, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, NT
2013 Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania
2013, 2012, 2011 The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat
2011 Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery Ballarat
2011 Calleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW
2011 Geelong Acquisitive Print Award, Geelong Gallery
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Print Council of Australia
Murray Art Museum Albury
Melbourne Grammar School
Curtin University, WA
National Art School, NSW
St Patrick's College, Ballarat
WA National Art School Sydney
AWARDS & COMMISSIONS
2016 City of Yarra Public Commission
2015 Print Council of Australia, PCA Imprint
2015 Tertiary Student Prize
2014 Winner Doll House Studio Award RMIT
2013 Winner Magnani Papers Student Award RMIT
2011 Winner The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat
EXHIBITIONS
Geelong Acquisitive Print Award, Geelong Gallery 2011
Toyota Undergraduate, Toyota Spirit Gallery, VIC 2011
Colleen Art Award, Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW 2011
Rick Amor Drawing Prize, Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2011
Primary Processes, Open Space Gallery, VIC 2012
The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat 2013, 2012, 2011
Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania 2013
A Tale of Two Cities, Print Institution Hong Kong, 2013
Senini Art Award, McClelland Sculpture Par & Gallery, VIC 2014
Central Station, Glasgow, Scotland 2014
4AA4, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, NSW 2014
Lightspace Projects, RMIT School Gallery, VIC 2014
Identity, Port Jackson Press Gallery, VIC 2014
Swan Hill Print & Drawing Acquisitive Award, Swan Hill Gallery, VIC 2014
Alice Art Prize, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Sprints NT 2014
Winter Salon, Collingwood Gallery, VIC 2014
LWOO, Port Jackson Press, Port Jackson Press Gallery, VIC 2014
The Great Leader Series, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC 2014
The Comfort Zone, Gasworks Arts Part, VIC 2014
Little Wonder II, Beth Hulme Gallery, VIC 2015
Magical, Neospace Gallery, VIC 2015
Australia Print Triennial-15 Young Emerging Australian Artist, The Art Vault, Mildura 2015
From Polipanda With Love! Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC 2015
Linden Postcard Show, VIC 2015
The Mcollection Art Award, Gallerysmith Project Space, VIC 2015
The Flanagan Art Prize, ST Patricks College, Ballarat 2015
Editions 2015 annual print exhibition, TACIT Contemporary Art Gallery, VIC 2015
Supergraph, Royal Exhibition Building Carlton, VIC 2015
Home Free, Gasworks Arts Pat, VIC 2015
The ‘90’ Port Jackson Press, Port Jackson Press Gallery, VIC 2015
The Royal Scottish Academy Open Exhibition, Edinburgh, Scotland 2015
Belle Arti prize, Chapman & Bailey Gallery, VIC 2016
The Flanagan Art Prize exhibition, St Patrick’s College, Ballarat 2016
Print Council of Australia celebrate over the past 50 years commissioned prints, NKN gallery, Melbourne 2016
Icons Uncovered, No Vacancy gallery, Melbourne 2016
Moreton Bay Region Art Award, Pine Rivers Art Gallery, NSW 2016
The Wild, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC 2016
My Name is Polipanda-Retrospective, TACIT Contemporary Art, VIC 2016
Editions, TACIT Contemporary Art, VIC 2016
Australia Post Art Prize, 69 Smith Street Gallery, VIC 2016
Creatures Exhibiton, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff 2016
Fifty Shades of Blank, Black Dot Gallery, VIC 2016
Darebin Art Salon, Bundoora Homestead Art Centre, VIC 2016
First Birthday Celebration Exhibition, Q Bank artists group, VIC 2017
Litho Mono Screen & Unique state Exhibition, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff 2017
Everyday Life, BlackCat Gallery, VIC 2017
Burnie Print Prize, Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania 2017
PG Printmaker Gallery, VIC 2017
Editions, TACIT Contemporary Art, VIC 2017
Beauty of Beast, Queenscliff Gallery, Queenscliff, 2018
Edition 18, TACIT Art Gallery, VIC, 2018
Beautiful Banal, Off The Kerb Gallery, Vic, 2018
Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT, 2018
Bald Archy Prize, Watson Arts Centre, ACT, 2019
Albert Park Art Show, VIC, 2020
Spring Show, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2020
50square show, Brunswick Street Gallery, VIC, 2021
Camberwell Art Show, VIC, 2021
Mid summer show, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2021
Albert Park Art Show, VIC, 2021
Christmas show, Brunswick Street Gallery, VIC, 2021
Red retroshow, Red Gallery, VIC, 2022
Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2022
Affordable art exhibition, Space 2 Design, VIC 2023
The end of year show, Little bird Gallery, VIC 2023
Solo show, Red Gallery, VIC, 2023
Mid Summer show, Off the Kerb Gallery, VIC, 2024