Hong Kong Hang Seng University in Sha Tin | Hong Kong Hang Seng University and New Art Trend Jointly Present: Wang Yi Solo Exhibition 'The Stars Are Not Afraid to Appear Like Fireflies' Exploring the Generation of Self-consciousness Contemporary Abstract

Description

Hong Kong Hang Seng University (Hang Seng University) and New Art Trend (ArtNext) are pleased to announce a joint presentation of a solo exhibition of Chinese contemporary artist Wang Yi, titled 'The Stars Are Not Afraid to Appear Like Fireflies'. Curated by Huang Bailu and Xie Xiaomin, the exhibition features Wang Yi's recent representative works, including his iconic 'Shadow's Shadow' and 'A Flash' series, among others.

The exhibition title, 'The Stars Are Not Afraid to Appear Like Fireflies', is poetically borrowed from Tagore's 'Flight of Cranes'. Using 'shadow' as a clue, the exhibition explores how individual self-cognition is constantly generated through the reflection of light, experience, and social structures, while the true existence remains in a state that is difficult to observe directly. Through the use of reflective spatial installations and the constantly overlapping and disappearing images in the paintings, the exhibition guides viewers to perceive themselves in the interplay of 'observing and being observed' and contemplate the relationship between appearance and invisibility, and between the individual and the environment.

The exhibition features a unique spatial design using reflective black glass and red light bulbs to create an abstract maze. This glass material not only echoes the floor-to-ceiling windows of the gallery but also establishes a deep connection with the visual characteristics of Hong Kong's urban architecture. As a result, the viewers' images are continuously illuminated, refracted, and overlapped in the space, making them aware of their own existence and the resistance and dissolution brought about by the powerful force that lies within.

'Shadow's Shadow' constitutes an important part of the artist's exploration of 'appearance and invisibility'. Through the continuous repetition of painting and structured image organization, light is no longer just an external condition that illuminates objects, but becomes the process of constantly generating 'shadows'. With dense layers and subtle variations, the images present a state between certainty and dissipation, keeping the act of observing in a state of unfinished perception. The images seem to be both forming and fading away, like the shadow's shadow, always pointing to an existence that cannot be fully confirmed.

The new work, 'A Flash', pushes this contemplation of the 'instant of appearance' to another temporal scale. Responding to the brief and intense light sensation in the urban experience of Hong Kong, the work presents images that resemble fleeting traces of brightness in the darkness. The artist chooses industrial aluminum plates as the base for painting and applies hundreds of layers of paint using the 'scumbling' technique from Western classical oil painting. Ultimately, the visual effect achieved is that of a Song Dynasty ceramic glaze. Through repeated covering and erasing of multiple semi-transparent layers of paint, the images continuously deviate from their initial forms, maintaining a delicate balance between generation and erasure. Light is no longer stably present, adding a layer of unease or danger, and instead, it becomes more like a transient event that appears and quickly disappears.

Born in Shanghai in 1991, Wang Yi graduated with a master's degree from the Oil Painting Department of the China Academy of Art in 2016. He is a highly regarded rising star in the field of Chinese abstract art. His artistic achievements have been recognized through several international awards, including being shortlisted for the 'Tomorrow Sculpture Award' and the 'John Moores Painting Prize (China)', and winning the '2021 SAS DRAGON Chinese Young Artists Biennial Selection'. These accolades reflect his successful transition and comprehensive talent in exploring two-dimensional painting and three-dimensional spatial media.

Wang Yi's artistic practice encompasses not only painting but also extends to sculpture, installation, and textual media. Through his unique 'Grand Geometry' theory, he delves into the sensitive topics of light and shadow and social issues within a rational structure. He believes that geometric shapes are the underlying logic of the world and advocates that abstract art should not be limited to formal decoration or stylistic research but should serve as a vessel for conveying ideas. Wang Yi holds that the past, present, and future of human society can be manifested and reconstructed through basic geometric forms. He simplifies complex realities, such as urban structures and social orders, into precise geometric languages, allowing his works to present a grand and dialectical narrative sense within a rational framework.

This exhibition is an important part of Hang Seng University's development of the 'Master of Arts in Art Business' program and related course practices. Through the in-depth collaboration between Hang Seng University and New Art Trend, the exhibition demonstrates how contemporary art can organically link with the academic environment and the art market.