2024/09/12 - 2024/11/16
DUMONTEIL Contemporary
8 Rue d'Aboukir 75002 Paris
DUMONTEIL Contemporary
8 Rue d'Aboukir 75002 Paris
DUMONTEIL Contemporary Paris is pleased to present Yesterday's Letter, the solo exhibition of Shanghai-based Chinese artist NISKY (Yu Yang). The exhibition showcases the artist's "Metacollage" exploration through oil paintings over the past two years, reflecting an interdisciplinary exploration of the arts. This marks the artist's sixth solo exhibition with DUMONTEIL.
Studies show that viewers typically linger in front of a painting for just 10 to 50 seconds. Yet, when we encounter Nisky YU's works, regardless of their scale, we quickly sense that they are imbued with an extraordinary depth of narratives, inviting us to observe them far longer. Each detail in his compositions — whether it's the intricate relief of a building, the folds in a character's sleeve, or the stars scattered across a night sky—reveals hidden treasures. It's as though we unknowingly leaf through a book and realise it is merely a prologue to an epic tale. With each new chapter, fresh characters and unfolding plots emerge, pulling us deeper into a complex narrative.
It is not surprising that behind each painting lies a wealth of inspiration for content and composition. For example, Stars of the Warring States and The Measure of Exile are the results of Nisky's recent reading of epics and novels about the Spring and Autumn and Warring States. The Matters of Life draws its compositional inspiration from two sources: Li Zhaodao's Emperor's Going to Shu and the series of frescoes depicting the Procession of the Magi at Palazzo Pretorio. The composition skillfully merges elements of Tang and Song dynasty landscapes with Renaissance mountain formations. This fusion highlights Nisky's ability to bridge different cultural and historical influences, while maintaining a cohesive and layered visual narrative.
The artist refers to this fusion technique as ‘Metacollage’, which has evolved from the early days of his work. While traditional collage involves physically assembling different materials, Nisky’s Metacollage is more akin to a chemical reaction. It deconstructs raw materials before reintegrating them into a cohesive whole, achieving visual harmony within the composition. In essence, Metacollage represents both the artist's conceptual approach and his creative method.
Addressing the inherent contradictions within the materials used in Metacollage, Nisky once cited Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu: “I don't want to eliminate the richness of contradictions; rather, I embrace the tension between two opposing forces. This allows me to avoid disconnecting from tradition while continuing to push forward into the future with each new work.” It is this deep sense of "nostalgia" and connection to the rich, captivating past that enables Nisky to carry their legacy forward through his Metacollage technique.
Behind these rich works is the young artist’s impressive intellectual cultivation. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, Nisky has pursued extensive and diverse self-study, enlightening his explorations through feelings and perceptions rather than conventional academic categorizations. His research spans art, literature, music, architecture, and design, creating a multidisciplinary approach that transcends traditional frameworks, and thus acquiring a new and more open vitality.
In addition to painting, Nisky is skilled in musical composition, which may explain the presence of “synesthesia” in his artistic expression. For example, his perception of colour is visual, emotional and musical, resonating across multiple sensory levels. Regarding the greens used in his work, Nisky writes: “Energetic Sap Green, melancholic Olive Green, solemn Perylene Green, intensive Phthalo Green, and serene Chromium Oxide Green. These greens function like a pentatonic scale, blending, interweaving, stretching, and dispersing, ultimately forming a harmonious world of mountains, trees, and imagination.”
The works in this exhibition also reflect Nisky’s recent exploration of texture as a central guide to his creative process. He starts with randomly left paint particles and textured layers on the canvas. From these spontaneous marks, he uncovers specific images—the movement of mountains or the silhouette of a figure—much like a child lying in the grass imagining shapes in the clouds. It's almost unimaginable that these meticulously composed grand scenes emerge from such random blocks of colour and lines. In addition, the texture in his works also shows the clear influence of Max Ernst's frottage, Zao Wou-Ki's and Anselm Kiefer's highly textured, viscous surfaces.
Yesterday's Letter serves as a profound dialogue between Nisky’s cultural education, knowledge, and imagination. It is a reflection on and tribute to history and culture, while simultaneously embedding his personal experiences and emotions within the work, waiting for the viewer to discover and interpret.
Studies show that viewers typically linger in front of a painting for just 10 to 50 seconds. Yet, when we encounter Nisky YU's works, regardless of their scale, we quickly sense that they are imbued with an extraordinary depth of narratives, inviting us to observe them far longer. Each detail in his compositions — whether it's the intricate relief of a building, the folds in a character's sleeve, or the stars scattered across a night sky—reveals hidden treasures. It's as though we unknowingly leaf through a book and realise it is merely a prologue to an epic tale. With each new chapter, fresh characters and unfolding plots emerge, pulling us deeper into a complex narrative.
It is not surprising that behind each painting lies a wealth of inspiration for content and composition. For example, Stars of the Warring States and The Measure of Exile are the results of Nisky's recent reading of epics and novels about the Spring and Autumn and Warring States. The Matters of Life draws its compositional inspiration from two sources: Li Zhaodao's Emperor's Going to Shu and the series of frescoes depicting the Procession of the Magi at Palazzo Pretorio. The composition skillfully merges elements of Tang and Song dynasty landscapes with Renaissance mountain formations. This fusion highlights Nisky's ability to bridge different cultural and historical influences, while maintaining a cohesive and layered visual narrative.
The artist refers to this fusion technique as ‘Metacollage’, which has evolved from the early days of his work. While traditional collage involves physically assembling different materials, Nisky’s Metacollage is more akin to a chemical reaction. It deconstructs raw materials before reintegrating them into a cohesive whole, achieving visual harmony within the composition. In essence, Metacollage represents both the artist's conceptual approach and his creative method.
Addressing the inherent contradictions within the materials used in Metacollage, Nisky once cited Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu: “I don't want to eliminate the richness of contradictions; rather, I embrace the tension between two opposing forces. This allows me to avoid disconnecting from tradition while continuing to push forward into the future with each new work.” It is this deep sense of "nostalgia" and connection to the rich, captivating past that enables Nisky to carry their legacy forward through his Metacollage technique.
Behind these rich works is the young artist’s impressive intellectual cultivation. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, Nisky has pursued extensive and diverse self-study, enlightening his explorations through feelings and perceptions rather than conventional academic categorizations. His research spans art, literature, music, architecture, and design, creating a multidisciplinary approach that transcends traditional frameworks, and thus acquiring a new and more open vitality.
In addition to painting, Nisky is skilled in musical composition, which may explain the presence of “synesthesia” in his artistic expression. For example, his perception of colour is visual, emotional and musical, resonating across multiple sensory levels. Regarding the greens used in his work, Nisky writes: “Energetic Sap Green, melancholic Olive Green, solemn Perylene Green, intensive Phthalo Green, and serene Chromium Oxide Green. These greens function like a pentatonic scale, blending, interweaving, stretching, and dispersing, ultimately forming a harmonious world of mountains, trees, and imagination.”
The works in this exhibition also reflect Nisky’s recent exploration of texture as a central guide to his creative process. He starts with randomly left paint particles and textured layers on the canvas. From these spontaneous marks, he uncovers specific images—the movement of mountains or the silhouette of a figure—much like a child lying in the grass imagining shapes in the clouds. It's almost unimaginable that these meticulously composed grand scenes emerge from such random blocks of colour and lines. In addition, the texture in his works also shows the clear influence of Max Ernst's frottage, Zao Wou-Ki's and Anselm Kiefer's highly textured, viscous surfaces.
Yesterday's Letter serves as a profound dialogue between Nisky’s cultural education, knowledge, and imagination. It is a reflection on and tribute to history and culture, while simultaneously embedding his personal experiences and emotions within the work, waiting for the viewer to discover and interpret.