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The Western inspiration is further evidenced in works such as the Fairyland series, where Guang incorporates imagery such as gnome statues, airships, paper planes, and UFOs into his landscapes. The inclusion of such elements cement the surreal nature of the artist’s aesthetic, achieving a collage-like quality in his pieces by introducing characters that, at first glance, don’t belong within his conception, illustrating how his work speaks of the artist’s own imagination.
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Guang often features concentric geometry within his work, separating compositions into two realms in which one appears to encapsulate another. As seen in works such as Fairyland G-II, Fairyland G-III, and Fairyland G-V, he presents a deviation of elements while remaining harmonious and interconnected. This compositional decision can be said to be a self-referential analogy that speaks to his own dichotomy of influences, as well as being a direct reference to the ancient Chinese belief that the earth was flat and encapsulated under a dome-like sky. His color choices set him apart as an artist, presenting a diffusion of tones that yield sometimes dreamy and other times nightmarish qualities to his work, creating an immersive paradisiacal although surreal realm that draws those who set eyes on the same.
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GUANG-YU ZHANG, FAIRYLAND G-VI (B), 2020
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Like suspended in time, Guang’s work acts as a window towards a freeze frame of the artist’s perception. A soothing world, a thrilling world, an Elysium where earth and sky intertwine, where light and darkness are one and the same.
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“I have tried hard to understand why I
instinctively chose to express Eastern and Western cultures in a state of
combination. People are the product of a time and a specific historical
environment. I, myself, am a product of the fusion of Eastern and Western
cultures.”-Guang-Yu Zhang.
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Available to buy
On Oriental Reveries: By Guang-Yu Zhang
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