Chinese art puts its best foot forward in Rome
Shanghai artist Yang Yexin is hosting a solo exhibition in Italy – the latest example of Chinese contemporary art going global.
Traces or Track, the first solo show by a Chinese artist at Ulisse Gallery as the finale of its exhibition season, has initiated an exchange and collision of Chinese and Italian cultures.
The show in Rome will run through November 16,
"This exhibition brings international diversity and innovation to Rome and makes our city a convergence point for different realities and ideas, which is very inspiring," said the gallery's founder Carlo Ciccarelli.
China's contemporary art is continuously growing, evolving and flourishing, and that is reflected in this special exhibition.
Yang is highly sensitive and expressive on topics such as the contemporary environment, artificial intelligence, malnutrition, peace, and dialogue.
The display features more than 20 classic works by the artist, including from his Traces, Silent, and Food series, and four new works.
A new installation, "How far can human civilization go?" explores the fragility and sustainability of human civilization through the combination of time and the soles of shoes.
The work consists of two huge clocks, one clock's scale is composed of the soles of ordinary Italians' shoes to form Roman time, and the other of the soles of a Chinese citizen to form Beijing time.
It reflects the arduous journey of civilization development of the two countries from ancient times to the present, while also thinking about whether human civilization can continue.