Red Hands, An Illustration Series by Nan Cao
Words and Artwork by Nan Cao
Nan Cao is a New York-based illustrator and painter originally from Beijing. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art and later received her Master’s degree from the School of Visual Arts.
Her work has appeared in publications such as The Spectrum and Baltimore City Paper, and she has created visual projects displayed on 1,700 LinkNYC screens across all five boroughs of New York City. Nan’s paintings have been exhibited both nationally and internationally.
Inspired by surrealistic imagery and the energy of daily life in New York City, Nan continues to explore and express her artistic vision through illustration and painting.
“For me, making artwork is like building bridges for people to communicate with one another, and listen to various voices from different corners of life. Red Hands is a series of illustrations developed using acrylic and soft pastels. The story behind the art was written based on my personal experiences. I’ve been having hands tendonitis for many years. Tired tissue, irritated nerves, burning hands; the pain has brought me lots of challenges and struggles as an artist. In order to bring peace and be more courageous, I decided to make this therapeutic book to share not only my own stories but also speak for other voices who are having hard times in their life.
The girl wearing white dress and red gloves is the only character throughout the whole series. The red gloves she is wearing symbolize the chronic pain that is overwhelming her every single day. In the paintings, the little girl is surrounded by gigantic art supplies like paint bottles, brushes or artist tapes. Inspired by surrealism art, I created an imaginative world where she needs to keep “fighting” with those tough tasks and humongous objects, which used be trivial and small in life.
Throughout the whole Red Hands series, you cannot see how the girl with red gloves really looks, because she could be myself, or anyone, who is being brave to pursue the goals and face the challenges in their life. I want people to read my artwork, enjoy it, explore and decode the images, get to know our complicity and differences, celebrate the diversity and finally, find the connection between us.”
