Mocube is pleased to announce that we will host artist Yang Shuangqing's latest solo exhibition, Yuan Wuyou, on November 2, 2024. This will be Yang Shuangqing's third solo exhibition at Mocube, following Hot Spring Avenue in 2019, Swallow Dreams in 2023. The exhibition will run until December 15, 2024.

A relatively constant state isn’t something one can easily maintain at all times. I always feel that people are long caught in the dilemma of a “pendulum,” narrow-minded and obsessive. So, when the pendulum swings to the top on one side, the time it lingers there becomes fascinating.

Some understandings and judgments may be held onto for a long time, doubted for a long time. Without evidence or opportunities, one might never solve them, so they remain suspended. I didn’t originally have such motivation; it was the elusive traces in the course of life that sparked my curiosity.

I feel that painting, like many things, involves self-control in various aspects, such as controlling materials, aesthetic judgments, structural framework, emotions, and so on. The scene in one’s mind can never be that concrete; it’s about trying to control and bring forth a specific image. In this process, there are many choices, combined with actions, and gradually habits or styles are formed. Of course, these choices are inevitably based on one’s superficial judgment, which is often wrong, out of control.

Sometimes, I let go and allow it to get out of control, unconsciously tormenting an image repeatedly until, somehow, it works. But upon closer reflection, I realize I am still trying to control it, which reminds me of the law of entropy increase.

Often, I feel a certain image has reached a kind of equilibrium. I could still continue, but the result wouldn’t necessarily be better than it is now, and I can’t quite judge. For that indescribable, often mystical “point” (similar to what is described in Yuan Wu-You from Xuan-Guai Lu①), and due to the context you’re in, you just let it end.

Visual experience is a type of experience that can be challenged, at least within a particular fragment or a point of awareness. But it is still within that overarching sense of control.

If opportunities arise, other types of experiences may also be challenged. For example, upon seeing the movement of the moon, one might associate it with the idea that Earth might have a halo…

Note ①: In Xuan-Guai Lu, Yuan Wuyou was walking alone in the countryside of Yangzhou in late spring. After encountering wind and rain, he entered an empty manor by the roadside. At night, he heard footsteps in the western gallery, and four people appeared in the hall, engaging in animated conversation, reciting poetry, and exchanging verses. Yuan Wuyou listened intently but did not feel anything unusual about the four people. The next morning, when he looked for them, he found that they were actually an old pestle, a candle holder, a bucket, and a broken cauldron transformed into people. This story is set during the Bao Ying era of the Tang Dynasty, a time of turmoil when people were fleeing the chaos. Yuan Wuyou encountered these spirits under such a background.

This story in Yuan Wuyou not only has a strange plot but, through a fictional tale, reflects the social realities of that time. The spirits in the story are transformed from everyday objects, hinting at the resentment of these items from being neglected. This setting not only enhances the fantastical aspect of the story but also conveys the author’s attention and critique of the social reality of that time.