Chills on a Rainy Night depicts a cluster of pink blossoms against a nighttime backdrop. While the sky appears cold and overcast, a warm and unnatural light emanates from the pistil of the upward facing flower. Yang Xun describes this work as “the melancholy sight of peach blossoms on a rainy night, when long-forgotten memories can trigger a longing for someone who has disappeared from one’s life.” Yang’s Flowers series was inspired by Song dynasty flower paintings on round fans. With brilliant light and soft shadow, he uses his subjects to portray multisensory memories of attraction, hope, longing or despair.

A word from The Artist

In this series, the flowers bloom shamelessly and bring to mind the fleeting splendor of exploding fireworks. In the dramatic light that illuminates the center of flower, the stamens and pistils stand out with their imperfections. I aim to freeze the most glorious moments into an eternal instant, as if it is the last second before exquisite beauty withers and life itself bids farewell. The fleeting bloom of a flower is a reflection of the human spirit.