Page 260 - 亚洲二十世纪及当代艺术

63 ঺Ⴣ b.1973 Yuan Yuan

ॆҢ Cool I Am
ذ੹ ೥̺ Oil on canvas
1
1
ɚ㖼ɓɚϋЪ 125 x 108 cm. 49 /4 × 42 /2 in.
Painted in 2012
ಛᗆ
COOL I AM Y. yuan 2012 ঺Ⴣ€೥ߠ Titled in English, signed in Chinese and pinyin and
dated on the reverse; signed in pinyin on the left of
Y. yuan€೥̸̺ضұɝஈ
the canvas edge
Ը๕ PROVENANCE
ତԭݲࠠࠅӷɛᔛ࢕ٜટᒅІᖵஔ࢕͉ɛ Acquired directly by present important private Asian
collector from the artist
HKD 130,000 –180,000
USD 16,700 – 23,100

“The concept of ‘alternate time’ and understanding Palazzo Terzi in Italy in 2018, mosaic motifs have consistently
the interplay between eternity and the present permeated his creative odyssey. Cool I am representing an early
moment constitute the essence of my artistic and emblematic manifestation within Yuan Yuan’s explorations
creation.” of the Swimming Pool Series. Immediately upon its unveiling,
it was cherished and safeguarded by a prominent private
— Yuan Yuan
collector in Asia for over a decade, rendering its forthcoming
Born in 1973 and graduating from the Department of Oil debut at this autumn’s auction a truly extraordinary and rare
Painting at Hangzhou China Academy of Art in 2008, Yuan event.
Yuan, with architectural spaces as his creative subject, Echoes of Time’s Vanishing Whispers
depicts vivid yet deserted scenes that evoke immense visual
impact, reminiscent of rapidly constructed and abandoned Cool I am is replete with rich details, where a myriad of small
urban spaces amidst the rapid development of the world blue mosaic tiles in the pool meticulously forms a realm of
economy. Drawing upon the Chinese ink painting techniques their own. Transitioning from deep indigo to shimmering light
blue, they exhibit the myriad transformations of the same hue
he encountered since his secondary school days, he crafts within the gradient when refracted by light. The grid-like gaps
enigmatic play of light and shadow, conveying the delicate between the mosaics and even the worn edges are rendered
emotions human beings invest in their living environments with an ultra-realistic technique that approaches the limits of
through lyrical and figurative paintings. Within the frozen human perception, capturing the traces of time. Furthermore,
moments of time, he unveils the tension between the eternal Yuan Yuan creatively employs Chinese painting techniques,
and the ephemeral, reality and illusion, arousing widespread diluting oil pigments and layering them, blurring the sharp
resonance. Soon after graduation, Yuan Yuan achieved great edges of the mosaic and painting exquisite white fibers at the
recognition by being awarded the “Luo Zhongli Scholarship” bottom of the pool, along with scattered star-like dots, evoking
and subsequently receiving attention from Shanghai Xiaoping a dreamlike scene of sunlight piercing through the water. As art
Gallery and Hong Kong Kiang Malingue Gallery, making a critic Zhang Yuling aptly describes, Yuan Yuan’s artworks are
name for himself on the international stage. His works have “elaborate scenes of a dream.”
been exhibited in venues such as He Xiangning Art Museum
in Shenzhen, Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum in Berlin, and At the centre of the composition, there is a gathering of swiftly
Palazzo Terzi in Italy, and moving white dots forming a splash in the shape of the Chinese
have been collected by character “ ɽ ” (big). It captures the fleeting moment of
institutions including someone diving into the pool, presenting an eternal memory in
White Rabbit Gallery in a dramatic instant, embodying the traces of human existence
Australia, POMERANZ in within an empty space. In that moment, the boundaries
Vienna, and DSL in Paris. between the past and the present, realism and expression,
become blurred, as if yesterday is relived, and precious
Yuan Yuan possesses an recollections engraved in time remain indelible. Compared
ardent fascination with to Yuan Yuan’s more recent works featuring static scenes,
the repetitive patterns, Cool I am focuses on depicting the dynamic freeze-frame of
and “mosaic” stands fluid bubbles with a concise composition. It evokes a desire
as the epitome of his in viewers to immerse themselves in the pool, to meditate
distinctive artistic lexicon. and heal in a more romantic and lyrical manner. In the water,
Fr om t h e i n c e pt i on people return to the embrace of the source of life, focusing on
of his Swimming Pool a dialogue with themselves through exhalation and inhalation,
series in 2009 to his solo
঺Ⴣآϫ II‘dذ੹೥̺d118 x 90 cm.d2010 exhibition at the illustrious seeking their authentic selves.
ϋЪdשርϓʹᄆ 562,500 ʩಥ࿆

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