Darian (Yijian) Duan
(born December 12, 1974) is a Chinese painter and ceramic artist from Jiangsu Province, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University.
Rooted in traditional Chinese ink painting, calligraphy, and porcelain painting, Darian has developed an original, material-driven ceramic painting methodology.
His practice begins with the skilled use of splashing and pouring pigment to form an initial, naturally occurring surface. He then paints directly onto this first layer, introducing subjective emotional expression in response to the organic image.In the final stage, Darian applies knife drawing and carving into the painted surface.
After firing, these accumulatedactions—chance, gesture, and incision—are permanently fused into the porcelainbody, resulting in an irreversible process of destruction and reconstruction.
This distinctive, multi-stage approach positions his work as a uniquecontribution to contemporary porcelain painting on an international scale.
Exhibitions in Mainland China
2011– In October, published “Collected Works of Darian Duan’s Chinese Paintings”and held a launch ceremony.
2011– In November, curated and organized the large-scale exhibition "The First Reshaping Oriental Aesthetics in Nanjing Province.
2012– In December, held "Resonant Brush and Ink: Contemporary Young Artists —Guobao Wu & Yijian
Duan' calligraphy and painting joint exhibition at the Jiangsu Province State Art Museum
2013– In May, curated and organized the large-scale exhibition "The Second Reshaping Oriental Aesthetics” in the city of Nanjing and Shanghai.
2014– Took part in the touring exhibition "The Third National Nine Cities Art Exhibition which was held in Chengdu, Xi’an, Wu Han, Beijing]Jinan, and other cities.
2014– In December, held a large-scale solo exhibition "Perceive · Discern ·Darian — Chinese Paintings by Darian Duan”at the Yaming Art Museum in Hefei, Anhui Province.
2017– Participated in the “Contemporary Ink: Three-Person Joint Exhibition at the Yan Huang Art Museum, Beijing.
2022– In January, participated in the “Ever-Changing: Seven-Person Modern Ink Exhibition” in the city of Zhang Jiagang.
Exhibitions in Other Regions
2021– In August, Participated in a solo exhibition presented by Gallery Baird.
2025– In August, Participated in the 2025 Affordable Art Fair in Melbourne.
2025– In Octomber, Participated in 2025 Melbourne Ceramic Art Fair
