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THEME: NATURE

Disquieting in both its graphic content and perverse visual appeal, this work provides the conflicting experience of drawing you in while turning your stomach. A skillfully depicted, brightly colored songbird dangles lifelessly from a miniature noose strung on a bare, spindly branch. The backdrop of pale, drab clouds set against a muted sky give the unsettling feeling of either an execution at dawn or a polluted wasteland. The composition and painting style provide a disturbing variation on Northern Song (960-1126) bird-and-flower painting, which traditionally presented lively birds perched on elegant floral branches against a background of plain taupe silk. In Lili's reinterpretation, all the leaves have wilted and fallen away, and the bird has opted to take its own life. Although dramatic, the work is instilled with a sense of peace and surrender.

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  • Suicide Bird
  • Lili (b. 1982) was born in Chongqing, Sichuan, and graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2004. She can be characterized as part of the “Cartoon Generation” of Chinese artists, a group that emerged in Southern China during the latter half of the 1990s. Her subjects are seemingly cute, loveable animals such as teddy bears, bunnies, and birds, however their violent and grotesque actions imbue the work with a menacing air. The dark, ominous tone lurking beneath the surface of her supposedly innocent and playful cartoon depictions create a scene ripe with tension. The flat, simplified style of line drawing and muted color palette offer a stark contrast to the complex psychological drama subtly unfolding within the composition, amplifying the elements of suspense and uncertainty. Her works are reminiscent of artist Yoshimoto Nara (b. 1959), known for his Japanese Pop art era depictions of bleary-eyed, bobble head cartoon children in pastel hues. At first appearing merely grouchy after being awoken from a nap, upon further consideration, the dangerous weapons clutched in their tiny fists and dour expressions spread across their oversized faces are decidedly seething with loathing and aggression. Since 2004 Lili’s work has been exhibited in various spaces around mainland China, as well as further afield in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Brazil, and the United States.

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    LI Li 李丽
$35.00
The scene is a gruesome one; a vicious creature with demonic red eyes and sharp claws eagerly laps at a gradually spreading pool of blood. Our gaze follows the trail of blood to the mangled corpse of a poor, defenseless carrot. Breathing a sigh of relief, the viewer quickly realizes that what was initially mistaken for blood is merely carrot juice and the bloodthirsty beast is just an albino bunny innocently enjoying its favorite snack. This mischievous visual duplicity typifies Lili's style and tiptoes playfully on the edge between lighthearted humor and foreboding dread. Her simultaneously cute and creepy animal subjects leave us questioning the difference and relationship between these two extremes.

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  • Yummy
  • Lili (b. 1982) was born in Chongqing, Sichuan, and graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2004. She can be characterized as part of the “Cartoon Generation” of Chinese artists, a group that emerged in Southern China during the latter half of the 1990s. Her subjects are seemingly cute, loveable animals such as teddy bears, bunnies, and birds, however their violent and grotesque actions imbue the work with a menacing air. The dark, ominous tone lurking beneath the surface of her supposedly innocent and playful cartoon depictions create a scene ripe with tension. The flat, simplified style of line drawing and muted color palette offer a stark contrast to the complex psychological drama subtly unfolding within the composition, amplifying the elements of suspense and uncertainty. Her works are reminiscent of artist Yoshimoto Nara (b. 1959), known for his Japanese Pop art era depictions of bleary-eyed, bobble head cartoon children in pastel hues. At first appearing merely grouchy after being awoken from a nap, upon further consideration, the dangerous weapons clutched in their tiny fists and dour expressions spread across their oversized faces are decidedly seething with loathing and aggression. Since 2004 Lili’s work has been exhibited in various spaces around mainland China, as well as further afield in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Brazil, and the United States.

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    LI Li 李丽
$35.00
The fresh blossom in A Touch of Plum stands out against a desolate grey background of bare winter branches. While the other portraits Yang Xun's Flowers series all depict a supernatural light shining from the center of their subjects, this early bloomer appears woefully mortal. According to the artist, "The pale pink petals are tender and innocent, but in this desolate scene, seem to have bloomed in vain. This defiant but fragile blossom is bound to inspire hope for an early Spring." 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.

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  • A Touch of Plum
  • Yang Xun (b. 1981), a native of Chongqing, attended the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute graduating from the oil painting department in 2005. Since his graduation, Yang Xun has taken part in numerous exhibitions in China and abroad, and has been recognized as one of the most original painters of his generation. Currently he lives and works in Beijing. Deeply affected by traditional Chinese culture and imagery, Yang Xun’s body of work often draws its inspiration from the world of Chinese gardens, Chinese opera as well as the iconographic patterns of moon-shaped flower paintings dating back to the Song Dynasty. Rays of light, another leitmotif of Yang’s oeuvre, shine from the heart of the compositions of the artist, unfolding in front of the viewer and blooming like fireworks imbued with a transient yet extraordinary beauty. In Yang’s paintings and most recent installations, light is used to search for memories and fix fragments of history in time; it acts as the eternal time machine, the mental link that the artist employs to create a link between the past and the present. Devoid of any human presence, Yang Xun's pieces are a reflection on the complex relationship between contemporary life and the traditional patterns that used to be at its core.

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    YANG Xun 杨勋
$35.00
Yang Xun describes this portrait as “a peach blossom appearing from the dark like the scent of perfume left in the street; a visual sensation that reaches the viewer’s subconscious as a fragrance; a mood that gradually fills the air.” Yang’s Flower 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, pain, loneliness or despair.

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  • Fine Hints of Fragrance
  • Yang Xun (b. 1981), a native of Chongqing, attended the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute graduating from the oil painting department in 2005. Since his graduation, Yang Xun has taken part in numerous exhibitions in China and abroad, and has been recognized as one of the most original painters of his generation. Currently he lives and works in Beijing. Deeply affected by traditional Chinese culture and imagery, Yang Xun’s body of work often draws its inspiration from the world of Chinese gardens, Chinese opera as well as the iconographic patterns of moon-shaped flower paintings dating back to the Song Dynasty. Rays of light, another leitmotif of Yang’s oeuvre, shine from the heart of the compositions of the artist, unfolding in front of the viewer and blooming like fireworks imbued with a transient yet extraordinary beauty. In Yang’s paintings and most recent installations, light is used to search for memories and fix fragments of history in time; it acts as the eternal time machine, the mental link that the artist employs to create a link between the past and the present. Devoid of any human presence, Yang Xun's pieces are a reflection on the complex relationship between contemporary life and the traditional patterns that used to be at its core.

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    YANG Xun 杨勋
$35.00
Flawless depicts two pear blossoms in full bloom, suspended from above, with supernatural light emanating from their centers. Yang Xun describes this portrait as “a memory of pure emotion, flawlessly white, but out of reach; where beauty offers hope to soften the pain of longing.” Yang’s Flower 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, loneliness or despair.

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  • Flawless · Pear Blossoms
  • Yang Xun (b. 1981), a native of Chongqing, attended the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute graduating from the oil painting department in 2005. Since his graduation, Yang Xun has taken part in numerous exhibitions in China and abroad, and has been recognized as one of the most original painters of his generation. Currently he lives and works in Beijing. Deeply affected by traditional Chinese culture and imagery, Yang Xun’s body of work often draws its inspiration from the world of Chinese gardens, Chinese opera as well as the iconographic patterns of moon-shaped flower paintings dating back to the Song Dynasty. Rays of light, another leitmotif of Yang’s oeuvre, shine from the heart of the compositions of the artist, unfolding in front of the viewer and blooming like fireworks imbued with a transient yet extraordinary beauty. In Yang’s paintings and most recent installations, light is used to search for memories and fix fragments of history in time; it acts as the eternal time machine, the mental link that the artist employs to create a link between the past and the present. Devoid of any human presence, Yang Xun's pieces are a reflection on the complex relationship between contemporary life and the traditional patterns that used to be at its core.

    Click on the artist's name for more information
    YANG Xun 杨勋
$35.00
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.

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  • Chills of a Rainy Night
  • Yang Xun (b. 1981), a native of Chongqing, attended the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute graduating from the oil painting department in 2005. Since his graduation, Yang Xun has taken part in numerous exhibitions in China and abroad, and has been recognized as one of the most original painters of his generation. Currently he lives and works in Beijing. Deeply affected by traditional Chinese culture and imagery, Yang Xun’s body of work often draws its inspiration from the world of Chinese gardens, Chinese opera as well as the iconographic patterns of moon-shaped flower paintings dating back to the Song Dynasty. Rays of light, another leitmotif of Yang’s oeuvre, shine from the heart of the compositions of the artist, unfolding in front of the viewer and blooming like fireworks imbued with a transient yet extraordinary beauty. In Yang’s paintings and most recent installations, light is used to search for memories and fix fragments of history in time; it acts as the eternal time machine, the mental link that the artist employs to create a link between the past and the present. Devoid of any human presence, Yang Xun's pieces are a reflection on the complex relationship between contemporary life and the traditional patterns that used to be at its core.

    Click on the artist's name for more information
    YANG Xun 杨勋
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Note: This artwork is not yet available for sale, but will be soon.

The Compendium of Materia Medica refers to a 16th-century compendium of medicinal herbs, compiled by Li Shizhen, a Ming Dynasty botanist and pharmacologist. According to the Yang Xun, "Peony was described in the Compendium of Materia Medica as an unambiguously beneficial herb. This medicinal aspect is overlooked because of its exquisite flower; but underneath the ostentatious petals is a staid and reliable character."

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.

Click on the artwork for more information
  • Compendium of Materia Medica • Peony
  • Yang Xun (b. 1981), a native of Chongqing, attended the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute graduating from the oil painting department in 2005. Since his graduation, Yang Xun has taken part in numerous exhibitions in China and abroad, and has been recognized as one of the most original painters of his generation. Currently he lives and works in Beijing. Deeply affected by traditional Chinese culture and imagery, Yang Xun’s body of work often draws its inspiration from the world of Chinese gardens, Chinese opera as well as the iconographic patterns of moon-shaped flower paintings dating back to the Song Dynasty. Rays of light, another leitmotif of Yang’s oeuvre, shine from the heart of the compositions of the artist, unfolding in front of the viewer and blooming like fireworks imbued with a transient yet extraordinary beauty. In Yang’s paintings and most recent installations, light is used to search for memories and fix fragments of history in time; it acts as the eternal time machine, the mental link that the artist employs to create a link between the past and the present. Devoid of any human presence, Yang Xun's pieces are a reflection on the complex relationship between contemporary life and the traditional patterns that used to be at its core.

    Click on the artist's name for more information
    YANG Xun 杨勋
$35.00

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