Hu Yating
Hu Yating was born in Shashi District, Jingzhou, Hubei Province, China. She currently lives and works in Zhuhai, Guangdong. From 2004 to 2011, she completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in the Oil Painting Department at the China Academy of Art. After graduation, she taught art in universities and secondary schools in Guangdong. In 2016, she established her own art studio in Zhuhai and has since focused on her personal artistic practice as well as art education and exchange.
Created in tribute to the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Austria in 2026, Glimmering Forest came into being from a long-held belief: cultural exchange should not be a rigid collage of elements, but a profound resonance at the level of spirit.
The forest is set as the central scene—it is both a symbol of nature and a shared spiritual homeland of humanity, transcending distinctions between East and West, past and present. The figure of a human-horse hybrid stands at the heart of the painting, clothed in flowing garments reminiscent of Dunhuang murals, carrying the quiet elegance and restraint of traditional Han attire. Emerging from the winds and sands of the Silk Road, the figure pauses within a forest before an Austrian castle, where Eastern aesthetics and Western architecture coexist in harmony.
The flickering, luminous sprites scattered throughout the forest serve as metaphors
for the vitality of nature and as sparks of cultural inheritance. They safeguard the harmony between humanity and nature, illuminating pathways for dialogue among different civilizations.
Through this work, I seek to express a vision of boundless coexistence—a hope that art may build bridges, allowing Eastern and Western civilizations to cross borders, understand one another, and grow together.
