BOTANICAL STUDIES

YANG CHIHUNG

“WHAT I REPRESENT IS THE URGENCY I FEEL TOWARDS TIME AND THE DIFFERENT STAGES IN LIFE. IT IS SOMETHING VERY PERSONAL, BUT THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO EXPRESS.”

– YANG CHIHUNG

Yang has actively engages in artistic production since he gained prominence during the 80s in New York. His works are not just visual performances; they also embody his deepest understanding of the world. He explores the integral realms of life according to his own reality and experiences through means of abstraction. Botanical Studies constitutes part of Yang’s oeuvre that explores the aesthetics of plants during the late 80s and the early 90s. The artist draws upon the harmonious and mystical qualities of nature in depicting these lyrical botanical as they emerge on the canvas. The utilization of brown extenuates the silhouettes of these botanicals as they outcrops from a backdrop of earthy reds, yellow and white. Yang's unique spatial arrangement and his chiaroscuro surface creates a heightened awareness as the interplay of light and darkness remains a constant in Yang's imagery, silently capturing a moment of stillness and fragility of these botanical as the earthy gloom on the left of the canvas give rise to the sprouting botanicals in near proximity. The resulting composition is romantically nostalgic, reflective of a sensuous luminosity and vibrant liveliness that remains so integral to all live forms.