He Yang works as a designer and illustrator in the Shanghai Classic Publishing House. The job leaves him little personal space for creation but, for the moment, "he can't make a living with his art," said Holly Zhao, curator of his solo exhibition in The Room with a View.
Born in 1963 and growing up in the period of rapid changes in China, He is strongly concerned about politics and social change, which comes out in his paintings and sketches.
The 27 sketches in the exhibition were all executed in the past year or so. On one side are sketches of political or artistic figures in allegorical scenes.
One is a group portrait of artists whose art had an influence on his own work. Among them are Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Piccaso and Michaelangelo (see picture).
The technology of cloning is a major source of inspiration to him. He did several paintings and sketches on the sheep Dolly. In some, Dolly has the teeth of carnivourous animals. The sheep stands in front of crimson curtains as if on a stage.
Several other works on the same theme depict human babies and foetuses.
The series in charcoal and chalk on brown paper was created over the past two months, especially for this exhibition. They are all about horses and naked women. Violent and erotic, they produce a great visual shock, and are very beautiful.
He said he loves to paint animals. One of his favourite books is George Orwell's political allegory "Animal Farm".
The 13 oil paintings in the bar area have been shown or published before. His passion for achieving a metallic quality inherited from Rembrandt is shown here. All the portraits have some metal parts: Marilyn Monroe, Mother Teresa, and Lenin with a metal nose.
"There is no profanity meant," He explained. "I read somewhere, that Lenin's embalmed body had decomposed a little. The body on exhibition at the Red Square had a wax nose." So he painted a metal nose for the great leader.
February 22-March 9
The Room with a View
12F, 479 Nanjing Donglu
Tel: 6352-0256
www.wuliang.net
(Shanghai Star February 27, 2003)
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