Alicia Yuhong Wang (王煜宏) will hold her solo exhibition at Duo Yun Xuan Art Gallery 朵云轩 in Shanghai, China during 3-10 July 2021. Her unique oil painting series of ‘Yinzhen beauties’ (胤禛美人图, some called Yongzheng Twelve Beauties 雍正十二美人图) and her installation series ‘Seven Stars’(七星系列) are featured artworks and can not be missed.

Time Prism

Preface by Curator Jiang Mei from China

Wang Yuhong, who selects still life as the major content of her paintings, has made her ‘still life’ artworks distinguished from others, thus leaving us a different impression beyond its general meaning. She often selects and arranges objects elaborately on the basis of Chinese and Western elements, combining old and new things and integrating virtual and real images. From the brush strokes in her paintings, we can feel her humaneness and despondency, which leads us to think about the significance of life and time.

The objects in her paintings seem quiet sometimes, but convey a profound message essentially. The information transmitted by these objects is abundant, involving the fields of history, humanity and society. They are skilfully arranged by the artist, forming a game of asking and guessing riddles and leading the viewing angles. This is why her paintings are so interesting.

Wang Yuhong’s inspiration of the ‘seven-star’ series is derived from the ancient game of ‘seven-piece puzzle’. She adopts the concept of Western abstract composition in form to arrange the still life in a way that makes such still life ever-changing, thus providing us with different visual effects and viewing psychologies. On this basis, she further summarises, concentrates and creates several linear abstract installation, forming a mental framework that is seemingly left after concrete images are removed and presenting a strong metaphor of modernity. Besides, she has attempted to create abstract paintings with certain expressiveness so that the cadenced lines and colours can interact with each other. In essence, we can still observe the ancient and modern integration, as well as the Chinese and Western combination in her paintings.

This exhibition includes Wang Yuhong’s recent series of figurative paintings, and her newly created abstract paintings and installation. These works in different media forms have reflected different aspects of her thoughts and practice in recent years. Although they are seemingly different, there remains a natural and logical connection within.

By trying concreteness and abstraction, plane and solid, structure and deconstruction in her tireless enthusiasm and passion of creation, Wang Yuhong has constantly retained, reconstituted and reproduced the meaningful things perceived and experienced in her life course, forming her own series of ‘stories’ and her unique method of ‘creating objects’.

Chinese translation:

前言

策展人 江梅

虽然一直以来多以静物作为自己绘画的主要内容，但王煜宏的“静物”显然已脱离了一般意义上人们对于静物画的印象，而成为其中的“异类”。从画面物件的精心选取到布局谋篇，中西对望，新旧列处，虚实相生间，深情与怅然流诸于笔端，直抵有关生命与时间本质意义的思考。

画面中的物与物之间，有时看似平静，实则暗通款曲，物背后所承载的丰富信息(历史、人文与社会的)，在艺术家的巧妙安排下，形成仿若设谜与猜谜的游戏，引领观看的视角，这也是王煜宏绘画中的有趣之处。

灵感源自于古代“七巧板”游戏的“七星”系列，形式上吸收西方抽象构成的观念，将原本画布上的“静物”置于可不断变化的位置，从而形成不同的视觉效果和观看心理。于此基础上，进一步概括、凝练，又派生出若干线状构成的抽象装置，仿若具体的物象被抽离后留下的某种精神性构架，带有强烈的现代性隐喻。具有一定表现性的抽象绘画是其最新尝试的方向，画面中那些抑扬顿挫的线条和色象间的气韵流动，底子里尤可见中西古今交融的印痕。

此次展览不仅展出了王煜宏近期创作的具象绘画系列，还有她新近实验的部分抽象绘画与装置，这些不同语言形式的作品真实地反映了艺术家近年来思考和实践的不同面向，看似差异甚大，内在则有着自然的逻辑关联。

具象与抽象，平面与立体，结构与解构……在孜孜不倦、乐此不疲的创作热情与激情中，个人生命历程中所感知与经验的富有意味的事物不断被留驻、重组和再现，形成属于王煜宏独特的“物语”系列及“造物”方式。