About the artwork
This forearm, pointing towards the sky, stands out from its grey background thanks to the contrast between black and white. If the viewer seems to be faced with a three-dimensional illusion, Zhang Yunyao, by tracing this undulating white line, reminds him of the flatness of the surface. The work on materiality is multifaceted: by digitally printing this work, whose original is a graphite drawing on cardboard, the viewer is fooled. Grain and touch, faithful to their model, inscribe this arm study in a kind of phantasmagorical hyperrealism. The impression of mist contrasting with the contrast of light makes this a complex work marked by the artist's own temporality. This work is part of the "Study in Figures" series, in which the artist interprets the largest sculpted groups discovered, such as the Farnese Bull.
Expert opinion
Symbolic of his work, this piece is a continuation of his exceptional "Study in Figure" series, which reinterprets the greatest mythological sculptures discovered today.
About the artist
Born in Shanghai in 1985, Zhang Yunyao studied in the oil painting department and graduated from Shanghai Normal University's Academy of Fine Arts in 2007. Fascinated by biblical, classical and mythological subjects, he draws inspiration from sculptures throughout history to create his own interpretation. The artist works with unusual media such as felt, but also cardboard, to inscribe his work in a certain materiality, which is anchored by the use of graphite and pastel. Like a double-exposure photograph, he superimposes his figures one on top of the other, whose transparency and assembly create a certain lightness of form. His meticulous, delicately misty touch plunges the viewer into an enigmatic universe, straddling the present and the past. Recognized worldwide, his work has been exhibited in major museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai (Shanghai, 2013) and CAFA Art Museum (Beijing, 2015), as well as in solo shows at Galerie Perrotin (Hong Kong, 2017), Galerie Marguo (Paris, 2020), Asia Now Paris Asian Art Fair (Paris, 2020) and Watou Arts Festival (Belgium, 2021).
“"I still believe that the origins of our feelings, desires and interpretations of destiny go back to Greek mythology. These are characteristics that everyone inherits and eventually passes on, myself included of course. Therefore, I'd like to be able to have my own language to delineate these eternal patterns."”
Additional info
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