Zhang Yexing’s recent paintings focus on empty interior spaces. Each piece varies in taste and emphasis from the others. Some presents solemn sense of history, some depicts a simple yet peaceful view, some evokes an unnamable thrill, others draw on ambiguous emotions of loneliness and solitude, yet all of the works share a commonality of subject matter – enclosed spaces. The walls, floors, ceilings, either opened or closed doors, drapes, various drawers, boxes, furniture and etc within these spaces, opened or closed, are contained within one space, even the opened doors faced other enclosed space. These nostalgic environments, passive or not, are recessive psychological manifestations of someone living in it.

This is one way of interpreting the metaphorical meaning in these artworks, for which the artist’s creativity adopts from social life and current conditions. The rendition of such psychological space condenses the artist’s daily thoughts and feelings. Through depicting these empty views, the artist becomes the viewer sharing the same perspective. If an image may evoke certain religious awakening, then it would be an awakening based on the artist’s skillful composition. The artist is keen on reversing the figurative with the real by thickening the paint to present depth and atmosphere ubiquitous in his concise compositions. The timid yet powerful color tones also affect the overall impression in these paintings, either in its light or shadows, demonstrate the artist’s color instincts and trained sensibility. Combining his expertise in color systems and representing compositional principles resulted in thick color palettes, a sense that’s even comparable to the texture of wall surface that has been painted repetitively. Such consistency in paint texture and the object represented through particular perspectives become gilded into our everyday experience that then normalizes visually. Therefore, the artworks become a visual expression of the artist’s pursuit based on images.

Born in 1981, artist Zhang Yexing graduated from the animation department of the Central Academy of Fine Art. During his studies and post-graduation, the artist has been interested in working in the medium of oil painting. Without professional training in this medium, Zhang is able to maintain an independence and self-awareness through a process of learning and maturation. Within current diversity of artistic media and rapid changes, artists like Zhang Yexing are still choosing oil painting as their medium of expression. Its time transcending characteristic, especially today, allows oil painting to play into the complex and dynamic relationships with Chinese contemporary culture at present. Within this context, Zhang Yexing’s painting investigations is an outstanding example of this development.

- Zhang Li, September, 2011