Judges' comments

Lin Ye's works make you feel warm and calm. It's very easy to recognize yourself in one of her characters. And this similarity makes you feel like you're not alone. If I were asked to describe the concept of a "safe zone," I would simply show one of Lin Ye's works. It seems to me that the modern world really needs such peaceful art.

Ekaterina Borodacheva

LinYe’s work feels cozy and warm, with a solid sense of storytelling and mood. The textures and color choices are soft and pleasant. I like the bottle framing—it’s clever and charming. That said, I’d love to see more shape variety and stronger focal points to help guide the eye and punch up the narrative.

Max Liu

Within the small world of “self,” there seems to be a constant outer shell. The characters are designed without facial features, allowing viewers to sense emotions through their postures and project their own feelings onto them — giving the work an open space for interpretation and imagination.

Moon Q

The absence of facial features in the characters is a bold and effective choice—emotion and mood are conveyed entirely through posture, gesture, and context. Each piece uses a distinct compositional structure, reinforcing the narrative within a minimalist yet expressive visual language. The soft color palette and gentle textures further enhance the sense of quiet introspection and warmth throughout the series.

Nadiia Zhelieznova

This group of works is like the randomly opened pages of a diary, through the artist's framing and re-creation of the daily life of 'me' and the dog, those seemingly ordinary moments are transformed into precious and special images. The warm and pleasant atmosphere created by these fragmented camera shots is the best proof that 'I' live out my true self. The protagonist and the dog in the paintings are all depicted with expressionless features. This kind of symbolic representation of the 'ordinary person' is a subtle artistic device that arouses the emotional resonance with anyone serious about their life.

Yimin Wang

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