Representations of the female body abound in the works of the most famous artists in the world. They were mostly the products of the male gaze. Quite different are the works of D'On Fan-I who engages in exploring the embryonic steps towards human existence, the process of the beginning of life within the female body.

Professing the truth that 'art exists in a natural manner inside our bodies', she explores the nature of the female being through organic fluxes as they emerge in the inner landscapes of her body. Based on scientifically proven realities, D'On Fan-I follows the effects of ovulation and gives color to her rich artistic imagery. Floating lines and circles against brick red, yellow green with dotted black or white: fetuses in process, but also clones-the latest 'finding' of science- they all fill her canvases with delicate, compassionate and poetic touch while evoking a sense of outer space or science fiction.

D'On Fan-I applies a lot of mixed media. In this, transparent veils and aluminum are used to emphasize the contemporary nature of the age-old process. "Transparency and the silvery color are the features of today", she says, although she admits that her colors have an Eastern flavor.

D'On Fan-I became familiar with art when her mother taught her the art of Chinese calligraphy. She was barely eight years old. She completed her secondary education in Taipei, and then moved with her parents to Singapore where she learnt drawing in a private studio. She subsequently entered Malaysia's Institute of Art, and established her own studio in Singapore after her graduation. However, she felt she needed more, and she went on to pursue more knowledge. Not only did she travel and visit the famous museums in Europe, she also followed courses in the Fine Arts section of the National University in Taiwan, studying art history, philosophy and theatre, while also studying the techniques for working with glass, sculpture and ceramics. She settled in Montreal in 1989, but moved to Toronto and took courses in the Ontario School of Art.

While she absorbed everything she studied and was impressed by several masters, she practiced abstraction and landscape painting for some time. But it is the iconography of the body that ultimately fascinated her more than anything else. She had found her calling: to transcend realities of cold science into fascinating vistas of a fetus' journey towards birth.

Carla Bianpoen

Born on August 21, 1958 in Taiwan.
Studied at Malaysia Institute of Art (BFA; 1981), National Taiwan Normal University (Fine Art Department ; 1986), Ontario College of Arts (Diploma; 1995).

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1999 City Hall of Paris 8th. "Miracle of Life".
2000 Promoted by Guangdong Art Museum, China, Touring Exhibition "Embodiment of Life"; China National Museum of Fine Art, Beijing; Guangdong Museum of Art; Zhejieng Provincial Museum, China.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1998 "Les Femmes", Museum of Erotism, Paris.
1999 "Carrousel du Louvre", invited by 'Société Nationale des Beaux Arts', patronaged by Mr. Jacques Chirac, President of France; Salon autumn of Contemporary Art in Blois, France.
2000 "Carrousel du Louvre", organized by SNBA 'Salon 2000', Paris; "Oeuvre sur papier, Variations" promoted by the C.F.D.T..

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