'Could Never Trace Your Graceful Image Again', was the first painting that I was confronted with from the moment I entered the room. There were many buildings, as well as flashes of light in the painting. Most of the people depicted were colourless; merely shadows. Except for one person. The man in the middle of the picture wore recognisable clothes, yet he buried his face. I found this painting difficult to comprehend. It took some time for me to absorb it, yet I agreed with it somehow - at least my own interpretation of it . The city looked as if it were well-developed, busy and bustling, with blocks and blocks of buildings. Flashes of light made this place appear to become a cyber world in my eyes. However, despite being set in such a fast-growing world, people’s faces were unclear, buried even. The relationships among people seemed distant. The buried faces looked as if they had lost themselves, despondent and despairing. "Isn’t this painting simply reflecting the world now in which we are living?", I thought. "Hasn't everything in the world has become more sophisticated, in some ways, but also more complicated and annoying..?". Deep breaths, count to ten…
Another painting that drew my attention in particular was, 'Fall to the Fringe of Consciousness'.
Different beds, different people, different stories. In one of these beds a man seemed to be deep in sleep, but half of the bed looked empty without anyone sleeping next to him. In another section of the piece it seemed like an entire family were sharing one bed, uncomfortable and marked out by their hopeless expressions. There were beds in which both a men and women lay together, but they were always separated by a clear gap between them. In the middle of the painting was a man standing with his head down in contemplation. In the left corner of the painting there were two girls; interestingly the artist had only drawn the outer contours of one of them with no colour to her skin nor that of her clothes.
I entered this gallery with one question but I left it with thousands. What did each element symbolise? The hopeless expressions on people's faces? The horses, rearing up in angst? Perhaps it’s about the curiosity and passion to succeed, or rather, desire for freedom from this suffocating place?
Despite using snow as a background, the paintings did not completely reveal an underlying serenity or purity, but mixed with this with the rather polluting noises and atmosphere that are created by modern mega-cities. Although the paintings were challenging to understand, I was totally fascinated by them. All in all, I enjoyed my visit immensely and I strongly recommend you check it out for yourself.
