ABOUT

Jinya Zhao (PhD) is an internationally recognised artist whose work focuses on the interaction of colour, layering, and sensory connections in blown glass sculpture.

 

Born and raised in China, Zhao received her BA from the China Academy of Art in 2017 and her MA and MRes from the Royal College of Art in 2019 and 2021, respectively. She works as an independent artist and researcher, and holds a PhD in Arts & Humanities from the Royal College of Art, London.

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Jinya sees glass as an ideal medium to explore the themes of environment, emotions, and personal experiences. In her current practice and research, Jinya explores the transformative potential of glass art through a new concept of “synaesthetic touch”, aiming to bridge sensory experiences to evoke a deeper emotional and perceptual engagement with the artwork. By enhancing the visual experience of blown glass sculpture, she aims to enable audiences to experience an enhanced relationship between vision and touch, to reconnect and re-invoke multisensory perceptions. This methodology extends beyond the purely visual, aiming to establish connections with the ethereal and the unreachable.

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Her work is collected by museums and galleries such as Prague Gallery of Czech Glass, Qingdao Art Museum, Southern Illinois University, Ulster Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum.