Clio Art Fair Spotlight: A review by Huaixuan Xiang

Artist Huaixuan Xiang in her studio

"My name is Huaixuan Xiang. I am a New York–based painter and illustrator. I hold a BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts and an MFA in Illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology. I value exhibiting my work because other people’s interpretations reveal meanings I had not noticed myself.

Much of my work grows from dreams, memories, and moments when my attention drifts away. I paint what I see in my mind when this happens. My thoughts always return to a memory, move toward the future, or arrive somewhere that has never existed. It can happen in the middle of a day, while I am awake and going about my life. I think of these wandering moments as another kind of dreaming, like a little night light glowing during the day.

When I work from a dream or memory, I return to the emotion first. I hold onto that feeling as I develop the painting, and I keep intensifying it until I feel my heartbeat pounding. I believe emotion can remain in an artwork as an imprint of the process that created it.

I also ask what a painting can bring to someone beyond my experience. Personal images can connect to collective memory and the subconscious, especially when a viewer recognizes a feeling before understanding the story behind it. I want my work to remain personal while leaving room for others to find something of themselves in it.

The more deeply I commit to painting emotion, the more I feel that I am finally moving along the path I want to follow. At times, it feels as if countless hands are quietly pushing me forward. That feeling makes me trust my direction and continue building a body of work around memory, inner experience, and emotional connection."

-Huaixuan Xiang

Huaixuan exhibited her work in the past at the 25th edition of Clio Art Fair, held from September 24-27, 2026. Here is a short interview with the artist and a review of her experience at the fair.

Huaixuan, can you please describe your art in four words?

Emotional, Nostalgic, Introspective, Surreal.

What inspires your art?

Most of my paintings begin with a dream or a feeling image in my mind. Many of the childhood memories that appear in my dreams are actually very ordinary moments. They might seem insignificant, but I believe the emotions attached to these small experiences can stay buried deep within us for years.

I often think about the collective unconscious and the emotions and visual languages we share as human beings. I want to turn something deeply personal into something others can recognize within themselves.

How would you describe your experience at Clio Art Fair?

My experience at Clio Art Fair was wonderful. I sold many of my original paintings, which was such a lovely surprise. I felt incredibly grateful to meet so many people who genuinely connected with my work.

Sometimes exhibiting my paintings feels like opening a little amusement park built from my own inner world. I never know if the things I've created will attract visitors, make them happy, or leave them with wonderful memories. There's always a little uncertainty, but I'm also so excited and hopeful that someone will come and explore.

At Clio, I had the chance to meet those visitors in person and hear the memories and emotions my paintings brought back to them. I'm truly grateful to everyone who stopped by, took the time to understand my work, and opened their hearts to feel something through it. Every conversation brought more life into my little world. It's the people who make this amusement park feel alive, and their love and support give me so much motivation to keep creating.

Huaixuan Xiang, Rule of Dreams - Swimming Pool, 2026

Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16in Showcased at Clio Art Fair's 25th Edition, September 24-27, 2026