As a preliminary show of Art Basel Hong Kong, Pace Beijing is presenting the solo exhibition of China’s most influential portrait artist, Mao Yan. This exhibition is also the first exhibition of Mao Yan since his representation by Pace Beijing. Mao Yan is well known by his portrait art. His artworks reveal the momentary glory of peace and attract audience into his artworks through the very straight expression without any metaphor.

Mao Yan insists the spiritual dominance sorrows and the flow of emotions and showed the tension of strokes in a slow but calming way. Through the unique by a certain moment in memory and weakens the characteristics of a certain figure. Therefore he focuses solely on the language of art and shows the theme that is both magnificent and decadent. We could say that the art of Mao Yao has represented the whole face of an era that is remote but real. In Mao Yan’s portrait, the feature of time on a figure’s appearance has been removed, and only the common spirit of human beings is still maintained. The grey tone shows his experience and observation over the long and dim and symbolic or metaphoric meanings. Mao Yan depicts the same figure over years. Such behavior is based on the opposite of his own spiritual power. Yet in his non‐sketching creation process, he not only removes the steadiness and flatness of photographs, but also revert the reality of the scene and the vividness of the material, which expresses his personal pursuit to the figure. Mao Yan keeps his pursuit to spirit and the vague memory, embeds dim light of human soul and shows a unique figure that is calm and peaceful. Other than new works from the series of Thomas, which the artist has been continuing since late 1990s, the first‐time large scale painting of female body will be another focus of this solo exhibition. Faerie on the Chair and The Plump Nude show the rare female figure in portrait paintings. In these two paintings, Mao Yan depicts and compares the flirting slim model in the chair and the plump lady who curls up at the exact same place. In addition, Goya is a tribute to the Spanish romantic master Goya, who has a huge influence on Mao Yan. We can look forward again in this solo exhibition at Pace Beijing.

image @ Pace Beijing