Soka Art is honored to invite artist Liu Yang to hold his solo exhibition, “ Above the Dust and Light”, from November 18th to December 16th. An opening reception will take place at 4 p.m. The exhibition is divided into three main sections: “Soviet Union,” “Sketching” and “Little Black Paintings.” These works not only reflect artist Yang Liu’s creative journey over the past decade, but also project the future direction of his art.

The exhibition title, Above the Dust and Light, alludes to  the dust created from explosions, while the little black paintings represent light. Inspired by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, this title sparks a profound reflection on the historic event and political realities, resonating with the philosophy that “everything will end in dust, light is the only hope.” The “Above” in the title signifies a higher level to explore topics, such as spirituality and ideology. In Liu’s words, "Everything in the world is made of dust. Light endows everything with the possibility for growth, while time shapes everything."

In 2019, Liu Yang visited the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. This journey profoundly influenced his art. As a result, his works not only demonstrate his own unique expression of time and space, but also display the inspirations he drew from Soviet Union propaganda posters. These factors led the artist to re-examine the nature of art. Liu Yang believes that everyone needs to interpret the world in their own unique way due to the fact that no one can completely discern the truth of the world. As a result, Liu Yang adopts an art style that blends figurative and abstract elements together to inspire viewers towards philosophical thought. In accordance with Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous quote that “there are no facts, only interpretations,” Liu Yang’s art style emphasizes an exploration of the world through personal feelings and experiences. 

Born in Huludao City, Liaoning Province in 1985, Liu Yang was a Young Guest Artist at the Chinese Academy of Oil Painting. During 7 years of an artist residency, he visited 9 different countries, transforming his observations into artworks by capturing local scenery and cultural elements using newspapers and magazines as the canvas. Most of Liu Yang’s works consist of figurative expressions with a touch of freehand styles, which often softens the graphical focus on characters. By lifting the rigid boundaries of his paintings, Liu Yang not only conveys an in-depth understanding of cultural diversity, but also demonstrates his unique artistic interpretations and creative styles. These artworks present viewers with an integration of history and culture, inspiring them to reflect on art and memory even more extensively.

In his series Sketching, Yang Liu takes on the role of a director, skillfully coordinating the sequence of the scenes in the paintings while racing against time. Sketching is not something she dabbles in at the spur of the moment, but rather a deep-rooted habit dating back to her days in university. She polishes her artistic perception through sketching, making it more keenly attuned to the realities around her. In turn, this allows her to delve more profoundly into the beauty of nature and incorporate these discoveries into her creations. In this exhibition, you can observe how she mostly draws inspiration from natural landscapes. She believes that, in any environment, trees are able to grow in a way that adapts to their needs, and that they are more resilient and free than humans.

Over the past decade, Liu Yang has been continuously working on the Little Black Paintings series, which displays his tender sentiments through deserted scenes of elementary and junior secondary schools. Despite being filled with collective memories, schools can disappear in the blink of an eye unless they are captured in artworks. For this series of work, Liu Yang believes that, as an artist, he should know how to express emotions properly.  As a result, he chose to attach emotions to the classroom imagery in portraying the relationship among light, time, and dust. Light is expressed through dust, while time is frozen by light. This is because in the universe, everything originates from dust, and light endows everything with the possibility for growth, while time ultimately shapes everything.