WHAT
In the Chinese artist’s exploration of shadow, he distils the relationship between light and dark to its purest form, resulting in an arresting body of work that challenges the viewer to wander through his varied forest scenes that have an innate spiritual quest. His artistic process first draws inspiration from literature and poetry as well as actual landscapes. For his latest series, inspiration arose from his study of Japanese ukiyo-e (which was particularly prominent in 17th-19th century Japan), where special emphasis was placed on woodblock prints and paintings. Fascinated by the ukiyo-e usage of contrasting colour palettes, he adopted colours from nature and reality, turning them into his own reality with his own colours.

WHY
Constantly exploring and inventing different painting techniques to conjure deep feelings of harmony, melancholy, stillness and movement, the artist’s quest for inspiration in an ongoing quest. The landscapes are therefore both real and imagined, a dichotomy that is reflected in the concept that although a shadow has no tangible content, the image presented is still able to move the viewer, provoking an emotional response.