“Rebirth - Chen Yong Solo Exhibition” is the first solo exhibition Ying Gallery holds in 2020. It is the year of the Rat in Chinese lunar calendar, the first year of a new cycle of Chinese Zodiac. People believed it would be a blessed year and were looking forward to it. However, it didn’t start as the way we expected - the whole world has been faced with the severest epidemic outbreak crisis over the last hundred years. 

The COVID-19 virus forces us to endure an unprecedented time of distant social, everything has come to a halt, and there is no hope, only fear. We seem to see the virus is waving its delicate tentacles to threaten us, and how will we rise to the challenge?

Art can empower humankind; artists can help us face up to the challenge and hardship with their creativity and courage. The body of works showcase a series of digital paintings involved with computer technology, algorism and acrylic material, which is the form of creation the artist has been studied over the past few years. 

The exhibition will present the Chinese-Zodiac-themed “Rebirth” series among many, and with this, we hope to show the viewers the artist’s new way of thinking and interpretation of ancient tradition in a new cycle of Chinese Zodiac.  This series of works , meet our current needs - to “rebirth” from the epidemic. We need to create and present infinite possibility for nowadays and the future. We need to renew our mutual trust, regain wonderful life, freedom and hope. 

——Wang Ying

Rooster/Rat/Rabbit　Digital painting / Lenticular print mounted on acrylic 

110X110cm 2019

Chinese Zodiac is a symbol of Chinese culture.  My intention is to look at this traditional cultural symbol in a new way,  and interpret it with contemporary knowledge, experience, and technology. 

The differences between today and ancient  times are, not in the human intelligence, but in their knowledge accumulation and opinions on various things. In their early days, human beings acknowledge the nature from their life experience. Modern science and technology have expanded the depth and breadth of our cognition.  

Dog　Digital painting / Lenticular print mounted on acrylic 110X110cm 2019

Dog (Detail)　Digital painting / Lenticular print mounted on acrylic 110X110cm 2019

The use of digital technology gives revolutionary impact  on 　all aspects of our life. It changed our life and habits, transformed our ways of perception, observation and thinking, and meanwhile, provided new ways of art creation for artists.

“Rebirth” is a series of digital paintings.  From my experience as a designer, I always intrigued by computer programs and different softwares. I use computer as my creation tool instead of the traditional brush. 

Pig　Digital painting / Lenticular print mounted on acrylic 110X110cm 2019

Beginning with a drawing of basic sketch with  a mouse, and then generate the complete image with programmed algorithm and the computation of model. The algorithm can create complicated, splendid and exquisite scenes, and the randomness of digital computation will bring the works  unexpected  results.

I use the skull of each corresponding animal in the Chinese Zodiac as the basis of the image, which is distinguished from the traditional image of Chinese Zodiac. The theme is to rebirth form the death.

The material of  my works is raster acrylic. It brings out the sharpness of the color and layers of my work to the full extent, while due to its special  lenticular technique and optical principle, it can create certain optical illusion and add depth to my work. The visual effect is different from the two-dimensional paintings or photograph.

Goat　Digital painting / Lenticular print mounted on acrylic 110X110cm 2019

Combining the digital painting method with computer algorithm with the special optical refractive pattern of the material, the work creates optical illusion in one’s eyes: some part of the image floats outside the picture, while some goes deep into it. The work penetrates the physical picture, and creates the visual phenomenon of the overlapping of illusion and reality.

——Chen Yong

陈勇　CHEN YONG

Artist / Designer　

Ins：chenyong2000

The concept of artist Chen Yong is to use contemporary materials and methods to express ideas and thinking. Interests in the contemporary technology and the application and conversion of materials, he believes that using them for creation may provide a feeling beyond our inertial experience.

Graduated from the School of Arts and Design of Tsinghua University(Bachelor’s Degree). Chen Yong established his own design studio in 2003 and works as an independent designer. He started his artistic pursuit in 2011.  From 2018 to 2019, he engaged in advanced studies in the Experimental Art School of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). 

In 2019, his works was exhibited in two shows, "Jifuyou—Materialization and New Landscape " (group exhibition, 2019.01.13~02.20, Yue Art Museum, 798 Art District) and " Boundary " (group exhibition, 2019.04.15~04.30, rotating exhibition hall, CAFA).