Nicole Allen | INTO NATURE’S KNOWING & Jian Zhang | Feature

Exhibitions: Nicole Allen | INTO NATURE’S KNOWING
& Jian Zhang | Feature
Exhibition Dates: April 3 – 17
Vernissage: Thursday, April 3 @ 5 – 7 pm

WALL SPACE GALLERY is proud to present our upcoming April exhibitions: “INTO NATURE’S KNOWING”, a solo exhibition by Ottawa-based painter Nicole Allen, and a curated-feature of works by Jian Zhang.

Nicole Allen (Ottawa) - Allen’s latest body of works stems from her long-term contemplation of the innate intelligence within the generative and creative growth of botanical formations. Her expressionistic florals offer space to tap into the age-old wisdom of plants, present in their ability to adapt to their surroundings in communication with their environment.

“There is a language in the way petals unfold, in the way light filters through leaves, in the fleeting moments of bloom and decay. The vibrant hues and rhythmic structures of flowers speak to something beyond the physical—a resonance that draws us closer to another realm. In these paintings, I aim to capture not just the essence of nature’s beauty, but the feeling of being in conversation with it.”

Born in Oakville, Ontario, Nicole developed an early appreciation for painting the Canadian landscape from her father. Nicole has an undergraduate degree in Art History from Queen’s University, and an honours diploma in Applied Museum Studies from Algonquin College.

Jian Zhang (Ottawa) - Starting from the reality of everyday life, Zhang’s high-realism still life oil paintings reflect on contemporary existence through delicate arrangements of florals, bottles, toys, and books. Contrasts between grandeur and minuteness, movement and stillness, are two sets of contradictions that he navigates to express the world’s dynamism and vastness. What remains for Zhang, is an introspective self-examination, embodying the sentiment of “IN ME THE TIGER SNIFFS THE ROSE."

Jian Zhang was born in China and now lives in Ottawa. He studied at Fuyang Normal University and the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and completed his MFA at Donghua University,China.