WHAT
In the Beijing-based artist’s first solo exhibition, he explores the localisation of painting within the context of globalisation, and distinctively integrates elements of ancient religious art, expressionism, and street graffiti in his creations. For him, the materiality of materials and the process of painting weigh as much as its outcome. This exhibition is a comprehensive illustration of the creative process the artist has developed in recent years, in which multiple layers of paint and, in particular, the spaces in-between are organically interwoven, subtly revealing the imagery. As a result, rather than achieving predetermined results, he unceasingly liberates an intuitive potential for modelling that grows out of his rigorous training.

WHY
Having reflected on the religious and humanistic zeal once shouldered by painting, the artist focuses his research on the graffiti-like material reality generated by the layering of and damage to religious murals. As he sees it, such unique material, along with its visual properties, is the focal point where various ‘pasts’ – those of human history and cultural transformations – blend to form a mixed ‘present.’ This coincides with the familiar visual experiences of globalisation and the Internet. Viewers of this exhibition will have the opportunity to see the artist’s creative process through his finished works.