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Warped World

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04.11 - 20.12, 2023

Inna Art Space, Hangzhou

 

 

 

In Yuchu Gao’s work, faces and figures are in a constant state of flux. Her charcoal drawing characters are depicted in a distorted and transformative form. She addresses the theme of femininity and transformation, both physically and psychologically, as well as socially and culturally. Her paper work is rich with charcoal powder, where light and heavy lines intermingle, highlighting her unique artistic touch. Through the medium, she presents a multidimensional portrayal of the female figure across various timelines, which offer a full and rich response to the present. 

 

Viewers might recognize various female forms from different periods in human history within her work, as well as the fusion and flux between the depictions. The portraiture carries the potential for body transformation. Thus, time in historical artistry isn't strictly linear; it's re-envisioned as a captivating mode of perception. Here, the fluidity of these emotional forms becomes the central subject of experience. 

 

This blend of time, history, and imagination is also evident in Gao's drawing series "Contemporary Portraits”. The subjects in these works sway between clarity and ambiguity, their enigmatic narratives born from the artist's introspection and thoughts about modern life.

 

In her studio, Gao recalls the impressions of figures from everyday interactions, objects, or fragments from news and press photos. Through her observations, she discerns distinct "contemporary" temperaments. Here, "contemporary" surpasses the present moment, signifying a melding of different times. It doesn't imply detachment from the past but instead mirrors a blend of influences from varied epochs.

 

During her residency at Inna Art Space, she transformed sheets of paper by tearing them into diverse sizes and then sticking them together, crafting a surface evoking thoughts of sculpture or architecture. What began as two-dimensional strokes ascended to a near three-dimensional realm. Many figures in these works derive from ancient art forms of civilizations along the Mediterranean coast as well as Central and South Asia. Gao seeks unity among these cultural diversities, creating a harmonious blend in her depictions. To her, these images symbolize the imprints of human life and experiences, exuding palpable energy.

 

Echoing this sentiment, Yuchu Gao references Yuval Noah Harari's perspective on studying history: "not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative destinies." In this vision of an "alternative destiny," the criteria for what's considered unusual or standard are constantly shifting. "Warped World" can be seen as a crack, a partial truth, through which one can catch a glimpse of some other possibility in another world, and even go so far as to begin to conceive of an unimaginable unknown. (Text by Liu Beining)

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