Qi Jie

In the magical hands of Wang Yuyang, an artist who is constantly attempting to shed his "old self" and further explore artistic boundaries, all of these materials—paintings, installation art, sculptures, steel, bronze, wood, glass, porcelain, silica gel, and LED lights—are nothing more than bricks used to construct his one-of-a-kind kingdom, the foundation of which lies within his restless soul.

Born in the 1970s, Wang is the executive director of the School of Experimental Arts at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. His oeuvre is described as "a multi-media practice that encompasses sculpture, painting, photography, and video," as the well-known Chinese artist delicately uses his humor, fiction, and spectacles to explore and reflect upon the relationship between the human body, experience, and cognition.

Wang Yuyang at work. /CGTN

One of Wang's most recognized artworks is his Artificial Moon. Made of ten thousand energy-saving bulbs and spanning four meters, the installation allows people to enjoy an imaginary moon in a modern shopping mall while paying a glowing tribute to human creativity.

Wang Yuyang's artwork "Artificial Moon." /Wang Yuyang Studio

Wang observes the moon through camera-equipped video goggles, capturing the moon in motion. The moon's color is derived from this palette, yet he sees everything in black and white while painting. Wang started creating this series in 2015 when he realized that the conscious knowledge of oneself and the derived form drawn by the same person are unknown to each other.

"This is an inspiration from black-and-white movies because I was born at a time when people took black-and-white photos. When I was young, I always wondered about the color of my grandparents' outfits. They wore either black or gray. I thought that their life must have been very boring. It was all black and white. And these might have inspired my imagination," said the artist, adding that this series "has a sense of surrealism."

Wang is keen on challenging his "previous self" by constantly exploring artistic boundaries and possibilities. Besides painting, he's also tried all kinds of materials and ideas to create his kingdom of art. When it comes to the "Breathe" series that he's been producing since 2005, Wang said that the series is intended to investigate a relationship between "control" and "controlled."

Wang Yuyang and his daughter. /CGTN

Wang is a kind, devoted father in his little family, in contrast to his restless soul in the vast art world, and it is evident that he moves freely between his two roles.

Wang spends most of his spare time with his 11-year-old daughter. Since she was born, this beloved little girl has been taken to a great variety of art shows by Wang, during which Wang himself also witnessed the development of China's art industry.

Wang said more artists today are willing to practice art as a career, and he cited a group of young Chinese artists he'd encountered at the Venice Biennale 2022 as an instance, saying he was impressed by them.

Artwork of Wang Yuyang on display at the Venice Biennale 2022. /Wang Yuyang Studio

"One of the participants is a group of young Chinese students who voluntarily organized to collect artworks and applied for the Venice Biennale. So you see artists have become younger in average age and are full of vitality. Besides, you see more others are supportive," said Wang.

By saying "supportive," the artist means that local authorities now pay more attention to promoting a more cultural and artistic lifestyle for ordinary people.

As put by the artist, "art is diversified. We can make a better world when art gives us more spiritual enjoyment."

Article Source：https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-11-16/Chinese-artist-explores-art-boundaries-with-a-restless-soul-1f0nh8VsUMg/index.html