Young Prodigies Dazzle The Art World

[Music] VICTORIA YIN: My first international art exposition
was when I was 10. [Music] ZOE YIN: I started drawing when I was only
one-year-old. ZOE YIN: My paintings sell for like $15,000,
$20,000. VICTORIA YIN: The larger works I’ve done have
gone all the way up to $30,000. VICTORIA YIN: My sister and I –
ZOE YIN: We’re extremely best friend. VICTORIA YIN: We are almost like one.
ZOE YIN: Artwork for me is just fun. VICTORIA YIN: Art that makes you think I think
is the best. [Music] JANE PINEL: Today we’ve invited a select group
of people to come to meet Zoe and Victoria. ZOE YIN: Taking, like, something that you’ve
done before and showing it to other people definitely takes some kind of courage, but
once you’ve done it over and over again, it’ll actually feel pretty good. EVA XU: Zoe’s work is more passionate, uh,
it’s more modern. It’s very happy. ZOE YIN: I really enjoy swaying along to music,
so that’s kind of how my paintings look like. ZOE YIN: I’m extremely honored whenever somebody
takes a strong interest in my artwork. GALLERY GUEST: I was wondering if I could
get a picture with you. ZOE YIN: Sure.
GALLERY GUEST: Your art is beautiful. ZOE YIN: Thank you. It’s very different from
my sister’s. [Music] YIZHONG YIN: Victoria’s work is more rational
and precise. JANE PINEL: She’s recreating her own myth
and fiction within the painting. VICTORIA YIN: I use a lot of the snake and
the apple because those symbols represent like, the past of mankind, while instead these
forms are very geometric and almost robotic, therefore a bit more futuristic. GALLERY GUEST: Age 12 you did that?
VICTORIA YIN: Yeah. Two years ago, so – GALLERY GUEST: You’re 15?
VICTORIA YIN: I’m 14 now. Yeah. GALLERY GUEST: Wow. VICTORIA YIN: Especially at such a young age
for me, to have other people be interested in my ideas, it’s really wonderful.
GALLERY GUEST: I love what you do. VICTORIA YIN: Thank you. ZOE YIN: It’s really an honor to be called
a prodigy ’cause like, when we first started painting, it was for enjoyment. We’d paint
and go like, “Oh, this looks so pretty! I love it!” And didn’t really want to sell our
paintings ’cause we were like, “Oh no, I love this one so much.” [Music] EVA XU: They seem to be really, uh, born with
this talent. YIZHONG YIN: It’s probably more from, uh,
your family’s side. I cannot even draw, like, a, a full circle. VICTORIA YIN: I started painting when I was
like, a very young child. My first pieces, they were usually of more, uh, realistic subjects,
such as like, birds and deer and things like that.
VICTORIA YIN: My first international art exposition was when I was 10. It was then that I was
discovered by the agent that I’m currently with now. Usually my artworks sell for like
an average price of around $16,000. The larger works I’ve done have gone all the way up to
$30,000. EVA XU: In the beginning, you know, that kind
of price coming in, I was like, “Wow,” you know.
YIZHONG YIN: It was a surprise. EVA XU: Yeah. I guess we got used to it, so
– [Music] ZOE YIN: I started drawing when I was only
one-year-old. Circles were my favorite kind of shape to draw. The circles kept on advancing
and evolving until it finally came to what it is now.
ZOE YIN: Right now I sold about 20 pieces or so. I don’t keep track of them. JANE PINEL: People are buying them for investments
because they figure that Victoria and Zoe are going to go on to become more and more
known, and more and more popular. ZOE YIN: Artwork for me is like, just fun,
like, don’t think about the money. VICTORIA YIN: As a high schooler I don’t have
much to spend on. The money just goes into a savings account, you know, perhaps for college
later, or things like that. [Music] VICTORIA YIN: My sister and I, we are very
close. I like, can’t imagine what my life would be like without her. I mean, she and
I are just so – almost like one. ZOE YIN: We’re extremely best friends. We
tell each other everything. If I, like, don’t tell somebody else something, I’d always go
tell her. VICTORIA YIN: People ask, you know, maybe
it’s inevitable that you kind of feel a little bit of competition with your sibling, but
I actually don’t really think so. I feel like this kind of relationship, I’m really, um,
blessed to have. VICTORIA YIN: I’ve, uh, been younger than
my classmates for a very long time now. From first grade I skipped to third grade. I’ve
always liked being around older people, and when I was around kids my own age sometimes
I felt a bit, like, kind of alien. YIZHONG YIN: They’re still, you know, children.
I still want them to be like a normal kid and, you know, socialize with friends at school. VICTORIA YIN: Right now I’m working on a rendition
of one of Michelangelo’s sculptures called “Dying Slave.” Basically I’ve just taken a
portion of the sculpture and, um, put it onto a 2D canvas. Some people might think death
can be, like, agonizing. I’d like to depict it more as a kind of peaceful passing instead,
so I made the expression kind of a bit softer. VICTORIA YIN: I’m really interested in like,
where humans are gonna be going in the future, exactly what’s gonna happen to us as, you
know, technology keeps on advancing. We’re probably gonna lose a lot of our identity
and like, what makes us different. So, um, these people are a result of this idea. They’re,
um, very geometrical and kind of robotic almost. VICTORIA YIN: With technology right now, it
makes our lives a lot easier. But there’s always consequences to that. So, um, whether
it’s good or bad, I can’t say. ZOE YIN: Right now there are lots of people
enjoy listening to music and like, watching TV and stuff, so there’s actually lots of
talented painters out there that really don’t get noticed. VICTORIA YIN: Art is a very, uh, complex thing
right now. I feel like sometimes it’s under appreciated in this society. YIZHONG YIN: I want them to be happy, and
do what they like to do. But I also get a little worried that an artist’s road could
be a little rough. EVA XU: It’s really not about appearance,
you know. It’s like, they like what they like to do. They’ll make their choice when they
grow up, so you know, no pressure. JANE PINEL: Zoe and Victoria obviously will
be around for a long time, and they’ll ultimately be very well-known for their work. ZOE YIN: I don’t like to think too far ahead.
I would just go like, right now I’m this, I want to keep being this. VICTORIA YIN: I feel like I’ve already achieved
quite a lot so far, for my age. But um, I think I still definitely have a long way to
go. [Music] VICTORIA YIN: With thinking about the future
comes a lot of these big, philosophical questions that are kind of mind-boggling to think about.
Why are we on earth? What exactly is the point of, you know, living? To be able to put this
really big idea into something that people can see, you know, visually, it’s a, it’s
a struggle. You have to be able to do it right. And I don’t think that I have exactly come
up with something that has completely depicted this kind of idea for me. So it’s definitely
a long-term aspiration.
I be nuts about WordPress plugins, because they are Horny! Meet art prodigies Victoria Yin, age 14, and her younger sister Zoe, age 11, who were painting before they could walk. Both sisters have created hundreds of paintings, exhibited their artwork internationally, and have sold their pieces for tens of thousands of dollars. In this episode of PRODIGIES, Victoria and Zoe attend a gallery show celebrating their work, share the inspiration behind their unique and prolific paintings, and discuss the challenges they face as artists. For more information about Victoria & Zoe, check out these websites: www.victoriayin.com www.zoeyin.com www.victoriaandzoeyinglobalfoundationforchildrensarts.com PRODIGIES is a bi-weekly series showcasing the youngest and brightest as they challenge themselves to reach new heights and the stories behind them. Created and produced by @radical.media, THNKR gives you extraordinary access to the people, stories, places and thinking that will change your mind. Follow THNKR on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thnkr Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thnkrtv Check out our Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/thnkr/