Yan’s One Two Three exhibited in Beijing Moon River Sculpture Festival in 2008 was one of his realistic works reflecting that the subtle elements in daily life were in fact flowers blooming. The expectations for the future were written on the innocent faces. One Two Three was Yan’s graduation work that ever won him the God Award of the Graduation Works in Hubei Institute of Fine Arts and the Excellent Award of the exhibition of the Outstanding Graduation Works of Chinese College Students in Beijing. Although he was not famous immediately, it paved a promising way for his success. 
Yan was indomitable in his pursuit of art. He overcame all the disadvantages and more importantly he kept lifting himself to a new level. In teachers’ eyes, Yan was the most diligent students. His ambition, self-renewal and the aspiration to stand out finally fashioned his strong-minded spirit that pushed him to keep moving on. After graduation, Yan headed for Beijing alone. Then he had no more than 1,000 Yuan. However, he felt no fear but eagerness to gain success. Later he met Wang Shaojun, teacher of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, who encouraged him to work on and introduced him to an artist. He assisted the artist to convert graphic arts into sculpture. He was well paid and finally owned his first studio. Of course, it was very shabby. He put the bunk beds which somebody threw away in the corner of the studio and put his luggage on the upper bed and slept on the one below. In this way, he made a temporary bedroom with curtains. Next he bought two barrels of mud and a revolving table and then officially started his creation. He was so happy that he was finally closer to his dream. 
Although Yan Shilin’s artistry may be influenced by the fashion of the times and gradually pays attention to children’s interest and animation aesthetics, all his creation is still derived from the experience in his real life. Life is the inspiration source of his works and unites his real world and his utopia. The conflict between virtual world and reality always exists in Yan Shilin works. It’s probable that the anxiety and suspenseful context in the interpretation of his work is the greatest pleasure of Yan Shilin when he finished his creation. It’s a ritual of facing up to the anxieties and addressing them with the audience. This communication mode usually occurs in theatres. The sculptures of YanShilin look more like his personal life situation growing into the collective imagination and expectations for the future by means of the theatrical ritual.
——Victoria Lu
From Crossing Bound to Being Boundless
—A Review on Yan Shilin’s Life of Sculpture

When Lin Gallery was still in 798, a disheveled flower girl was standing at the front door for quite a long time, she was not good looking, but very vivid and interesting. This piece was named GateringFlowers, it was Shilin’s graduation work, might be the work he was well-known for. This piece won a national sculpture competition award in the year of his graduation; but I’m afraid it was the chance that the girl standing in frontLin Gallerythat people really got to know her. Too many people have taken pictures with her, so many pictures was taken that one of the photo became IKEA’s product. After that, numerous pictures was taken forShilin’swork Don Quixote’s Dream, that is a little boy who was ridding on a horse situated at hiartstore‘s front porch. Shilin’s work became our symbol or even a mascot. Of course Shilin’s works were no longer limited in our gallery, they could be found in many places. Over the past five years, Shilinhas been moving forward, he has become the most popular sculptor that was born after 1980s.
In the past five years, we have held three solo exhibitions of Shilin,his improvement was apparent in every step. While the pieces became richer in expressions, the most valuable thing is thatShilin hasnever discarded his pureness. I believe this is why we all treasure so much of him. We are not lack of artists with skills, however, very few young artists could express himself through an icy cold sculpture, Shilin is one of them.
I usually said, of figurative sculptor in China, besides Xiang Jing, Yan Shilin is the best. Few believed me, but now seems everyone does. In comparison to painting, I personally feel that sculpture is more difficult; there are more problems to be solved in three dimensional spaces than intwo dimensions. I have tried, the feeling of notbeing able to take care of all aspects did not happen during my experience of painting. Therefore, in my personal highly respected artists list, Michelangelo was close to the existence of God. I was not able to find someone as good as Michelangelo, who had both strong rationality and vigorous emotions. The best in our century would be Xian Jing. Within the senior artists, HuaTianyou would be the big mountain that not many canget over; Pan He had his touching works; TianShixin is pure and powerful……My list isn’t very long. It must be fated that I could meet Shilin, he met all my imaginations about a sculptor, even the simple and naive element in his personality appears to be nature to me.
——Wu Jin
Gathering Flowers

The presentation of personal memory and life state by Yan Shilin's sculptures fully explains his philosophy of life. In Yan's eyes, all things are externalization or objectification of impulses of life, and he highlights that only the ones with the instinct to experience inner life can grasp the integrity of Life. As he stated, "all inspirations of my works come from my life. I do not care about political issues, nor do I like pop art forms. I just think about myself and other people's lives and feelings as a human being, and take the baffling and uncomfortable issues as questions to discuss and solve them with audience and people who share the same concern." His words further testify his attention on the consciousness of life. He sees artistic creation as a instinct and impulse of man. As the German philosopher Wilhelm Dilthcy (1833-1911) puts it, life is the origin of world. Life is not simply physical activity. Life is not a concrete body, but a dynamic power that cannot be described with rationality, a power that is unstoppable and timeless with an ephemeral flow, and such power is a dynamic and creative force. It is both orderly andimpalpable. It has directionsbut they are indefinite. 
In conclusion, in the eyes of Yan Shilin, the authentic pursuit of artistic creation endows him with the incentive for continuous creation. Artists should always have their own analysis and presentation of reality and personal psychology, remind themselves from time to time not to be dominated by popular art, and be vigilant against realist-mundane expression. Artists should take open and realistic means for personal artistic expression in meeting new challenges. We can say that Yan Shilin's works do not intend to offer a final and definitive answer, but allow audience to see or feel a glimpse of their memory when standing in front of his sculptures. 
——Huang Du
A Choice between Loss and Hope
--On Yan Shilin's Sculpture

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