Heilongjiang , 1961

Wang Yigang was born in 1961 in Heilongjiang province and is one of the best-known contemporary artists in China. Before his graduation in 1986, Wang participated in the National Young Artists Art Exhibition and received the National Youth Art Award. The Wang style can be broadly described as abstract art, despite the presence of some recognizable forms. The artist’s attraction to abstract visual language stems from his idea that narrative and logic are of little use in art. Intense colors count as a main element in his work. Furthermore, Wang’s art is based on gesture: a quick gesture that arises from a deep impulse and above all accompanies the materials. His work can be divided into distinct periods. The first period includes works more oriented towards the figurative, with affinities with Cubism and Futurism. Wang’s second period, closely related to real life, can best be told as Pop Art.

During this period Yigang is quite sensitive to elements such as posters, advertisements and political topics, which leads him to a rather large production of paintings. in the collage. Since 2000 he has rediscovered Chinese culture; paints a series of works related to traditional Chinese dyeing. Yigang’s subsequent period which leads us to his most recent works is to be considered purely conceptual and abstract.

He paints with the body and his works are never pre-planned, everything develops in the pictorial process. He accumulates layer upon layer of pigments, continually destroying and revising the work until he considers it complete. In recent years the expression of his brushstrokes has become more colorful and rich. All this indicates the full liberation of the artist’s creative spirit. Wang’s current artistic period has attracted a lot of interest around the world and he has been constantly present on the international market for some years.