BOUNDLESS IMAGERY: YU YANG SOLO EXHIBITION

“I examine the relationship between tradition and contemporary through my art. I think that the interpretations of both traditional ink art and contemporary ink art are not able to represent current modern society; therefore I aim to close the gap between tradition and today by using the simplest approach.

I dyed rice paper with ink and wrapped it around wooden stripes, which were then orderly placed within the frame according to the proportion between ink and water or colours. The arrangement is an expression of rationality and order, at the same time it brings the aesthetics of ink wash and traditional colours into this modern world.This work of art combines the elements from Western geometric abstraction and Oriental ink art, simplifying and deconstructing the painterly concepts of traditional art in order to illustrate the essence ink wash. The checkered patterns also create a new perspective of space”

~ Yu Yang

Yu Yang’s contemporary ink works delineate the concept embraced by both 3812 gallery and B&B Italia, the one which values traditional culture, examines heritage with contemporary vision, then translates it into an unique style that moves with time.

Imagery between Space
As the co-founder of Cold Ink Art Group, a collective of young artists who aspire to break out of conventional rules and to explore ink art with a rational perspective, Yu Yang captures the traditional aesthetic vision on ink paintings as well as the relationship between ink and paper, and creatively reorders them into minimalist shapes in three dimensions. The spacing between the wooden stripes, the transition between the stripes of colours, and the overlapping of space and colours within the frame form a unique aesthetic sense of space.

While the essence of traditional ink art is transformed into minimalist abstraction by Yu Yang’s analytical mind, it takes much boldness and imagination to rearrange the imagery with an innovative approach. Yu Yang’s works take us to the in-between space where rationality and creativity converge, an imagery of the engagement between traditional culture and contemporary vision.

Boundless Possibilities
The art of Yu Yang breaks the boundaries of approach and perspective in traditional two-dimensional paintings. Juxtaposing his works with the state-of-the-art Italian furniture, this exhibition transcend the realms of convention, tradition and culture, demonstrating the modernity as well as the limitless potential of Chinese contemporary ink art.