A Symbol, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 18 × 24 in.
A Symbol V03052026, 2026. Acrylic on canvas, 12 × 16 in. Photo: Jasmine Zhang.
A Symbol II, 2023. Acrylic on canvas, 20 × 16 in.
This series began when I noticed a recurring pattern in my notebook.
I kept returning to the same pattern in page margins, on blank paper, during lectures, between classes, or while my attention drifted elsewhere, before I understood why.
A professor once encouraged me to keep following the patterns that repeatedly appeared in my work. Although she was not referring to this exact pattern, the comment stayed with me.
Canvas is not a neutral surface. In art history, it carries the authority of painting. I wanted to see what would happen if I moved this repeated doodle onto that surface. That shift led to the first A Symbol.
© 2026 Yuchen Hou. All rights reserved.
A Symbol, 2022. Acrylic on canvas, 18 × 24 in.
This series began when I noticed a recurring pattern in my notebook.
I kept returning to the same pattern in page margins, on blank paper, during lectures, between classes, or while my attention drifted elsewhere, before I understood why.
A professor once encouraged me to keep following the patterns that repeatedly appeared in my work. Although she was not referring to this exact pattern, the comment stayed with me.
Canvas is not a neutral surface. In art history, it carries the authority of painting. I wanted to see what would happen if I moved this repeated doodle onto that surface. That shift led to the first A Symbol.
A Symbol V03052026, 2026. Acrylic on canvas, 12 × 16 in. Photo: Jasmine Zhang.
A Symbol, notebook drafts.
A Symbol II, 2023. Acrylic on canvas, 20 × 16 in.
© 2026 Yuchen Hou. All rights reserved.