Origin: Shanghai, China
Currently Exhibiting in: New York City
Social Media: Instagram
Bio:
Jay Guo (b. 2001, Shanghai, China) is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York City whose creative practice spans painting, sculpture, textile art, video, and performance. Her work, deeply influenced by subcultures and psychoanalysis, explores the intricate themes of emotion, trauma, spirituality, mythical creatures, and urban legends. Through a poetic and symbolic visual language, Jay constructs compelling narratives that navigate diverse cultural and social landscapes.
Her artistic practice involves multiple methodologies. In selected pieces within her portfolio, her approach merges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary issues, bridging the ancient with the modern. Known for her symbolic storytelling, Jay’s artworks invite personal interpretation while offering a universal exploration of the human experience.
Featured Artwork at Bushwick Gallery
An Elephant Sitting Still
- Year of Creation: 2023
- Medium: Batik on Handwoven Fabric
- Dimensions: 14.5 inches x 76 inches
- Price: $1,400 USD
Description:
An Elephant Sitting Still is a symbolic long-scroll piece created using handwoven fabric and the traditional batik dyeing technique. This artwork draws inspiration from Hu Qian’s novella of the same name, which tells the story of a disoriented young man searching for meaning and redemption after profound personal tragedy. Jay reinterprets this narrative through a system of symbolic imagery, inviting viewers to engage with themes of love, loss, obsession, and healing.
The unique batik method—passed down for nearly 2,000 years—brings a rustic, ancient texture to the piece. Plant-based dyes, sourced locally during her residency in Guizhou, create a visual tension between the fabric’s organic composition and the complexity of its symbolic narrative. The resulting artwork unfolds quietly on the wall, evoking whispered stories of longing and introspection, and offering a meditation on life’s emotional dualities.editation on life’s emotional dualities.
Exhibition Information
Exhibition Title: Love and Heartbreak: A Duality
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 13 / 6PM-8PM
Exhibition Dates: February 13 – February 20
Theme: Juxtaposing the themes of love and heartbreak, this exhibition captures the emotional spectrum of relationships, from blissful connection to painful separation. Jay Guo’s An Elephant Sitting Still contributes a powerful, symbolic element to this theme, exploring the aftermath of emotional trauma and the quiet, persistent search for healing. Through its intricate use of symbols and traditional craftsmanship, the work engages viewers in a dialogue about longing, loss, and reconciliation.
Guided audio experience
For accessibility, the full video transcript is provided below for those who prefer to read or are unable to listen.
“Jay Guo’s An Elephant Sitting Still stretches down the wall like a thread of memory, each symbol etched in indigo—a language of emotion, waiting to be read.”
“At first glance, the piece feels ancient, as if unearthed from another time. The batik technique—one of the oldest forms of fabric dyeing—binds the artwork to centuries of tradition. Yet, within its weathered texture lies a distinctly modern story: one of longing, loss, and the search for meaning in an overwhelming world.”
“Guo draws inspiration from Hu Qian’s novella of the same name, a tale of a young man drifting through personal tragedy, searching for redemption in a world that seems indifferent. Each symbol on this scroll is a fragment of that journey—an archive of emotions rendered in wax and dye. Some images are recognizable: hearts, keys, doors. Others are more elusive, like memories slipping through fingers.”
“But the fabric itself is alive. Its surface holds the irregularities of handwoven threads, the plant-based dyes seeping into the weave with their own organic will. There is tension here—between structure and fluidity, tradition and reinvention, the personal and the universal. Just like love. Just like heartbreak.”
“The scroll cascades downward, unspooling a meditation on time, emotion, and resilience. What happens when grief is given space to stretch out before us? When pain takes form, becoming something tangible? In An Elephant Sitting Still, Guo offers a way to see personal journeys reflected—a roadmap of healing, unfolding one symbol at a time.”
“What symbols resonate? What emotions rise to the surface? In the slow unfurling of this fabric, in the quiet persistence of batik and dye, a part of one’s own story may be woven within.”