Artist challenges coexistence of artificial and natural landscape
Chinese artist Li Yang showcases an intriguing solo exhibition at the Art+ Shanghai Gallery, entitled “Remaining Island,” featuring a dozen of her latest fusion works, combining both photography and painting.
After shooting a series of natural scenes at Pingtan Island in Fujian Province, the artist challenged “the coexistence of artificial and natural landscape” perception by creating a natural landscape fantasy handscroll.
The artist says her creative motivation is based on the “Robinsonian” self-exile and her aesthetic taste comes from Song Dynasty (960-1279) and Yuan Dynasty (1271-1386) landscape paintings. The former is like a wanderer chasing time and the latter catches fragments of memories.
Whether it is photography, image editing, or production technology evolution, it is difficult to classify “Remaining Island” as landscape photography.
A number of Li Yang's latest fusion works, combining both photography and painting, are on display in black-and-white images.
In the process of discovering, capturing and connecting, Li used a “horizontal perspective” to link images captured at different locations in order to achieve a certain visual continuity and agility.
The artist’s intention is to capture a mixed landscape in a calm narrative flow rather than recording a current empirical situation. The mist faintly emerging in the black-and-white images evoke a feeling of temperature, humidity and smell.
“This is a poetic expression in traditional literature painting,” said the artist.
“Here, Pingtan Island no longer has the stereotype of a sunny island. It becomes a piece of history condensed in time.”
Some of Li’s documentary videos are being shown at the exhibition to convey and reinforce the artist’s views on her concepts so visitors will understand her art.
Exhibition info
Dates: Through April 8 (closed on Mondays), 10am-6:30pm
Venue: Art+ Shanghai Gallery
Address: 191 Nansuzhou Rd
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