Wellington Gallery will be hosting ‘Tai Chi’, an exhibition by Chinese contemporary artist Yu Nancheng. The ‘Tai Chi’ series is a subset of a larger series ‘China Red’ by Yu Nancheng. In Tai Chi, Yu (sometimes referred to as Mr. Fish), paints uniform rows of tai chi practitioners, set against a distant landmark. Yu captures the fluid movement of his figures, sculpted onto the canvas, and leaves a powerful visual impact on the viewer.

The essence of Tai Chi; the interaction between opposing forces or flows, hard and soft; is symbolized by Yu’s work. A simple tai chi move is set against a complex array of rolling practitioners. The dynamic movements of tai chi are set against strong immovable landmarks such as Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven, powerful symbolic structures of Chinese history. Yu’s spatial ability is only limited by the physical size of his canvas.

Using a palette knife, the intricate texture of his figures is painted layer upon layer, creating works of art so thick, it takes months to fully dry out. It is this effect, a signature technique developed by Yu Nancheng, which captures the attention of his viewers and breaks new ground in the world of Chinese oil painting.