“The wind begins at the end of a blue duckweed”-- When the tip of a blue duckweed blows, a breeze begins,and the opportunity for the transformation of all things begins.In the fast-paced waves of the times, artist Zhang Yongfei has always maintained a“blue duckweed”which is like sensitivity and calm -- focusing on the minutiae of life and capturing the glimmer of the inspirations in ordinary moments. With a simple and pure creative attitude, he infuses his artworks with the warmth of daily life and personal experiences.
Due to his background in design studies, Zhang Yongfei’s paintings are full of repeated deliberations and experiments on details. The collocations of images and the combinations of the scenes are well-planned and ingenious. He was adept at using meticulous brush strokes to accentuate flatness, giving his paintings quiet and deep textures;the backgrounds are often painted in almost monochrome tones. But on closer inspection, you will find they reveals intriguing layers between the similar colors. Particularly in the artwork “It's like a dream and an illusion”, the artist processed the jellyfish suspended in the air into bubbles with rainbow luster, light and dreamy.The soft brush strokes of the background create delicate and rich textures. In the center of the picture, the little girl standing at the top of the podium, with her arms stretching out into the distance, seems to be touching an unattainable dream.The stone and the right-rotating white conch below symbolize all things in the world and beautiful blessings. Thus, the entire picture creates a mysterious and reserved atmosphere, evoking the viewer's boundless imagination.
For Zhang Yongfei,each creation is a wandering of consciousness, with free associations dancing gracefully. For him, it is only in a confined space where the boundless imagination can be aroused, and it is precisely this kind of imaginations that constitutes the driving forces of the narrative of the pictures-the scenes on the canvas present unlimited freedom, and unleash childlike nature.The emotionally charged images reveal highly imaginative and dynamic connotations.The connotations and implications can arouse the resonances of the viewers, and generate unique charms with references to their own life experiences. In addition, the poetic titles of the artpieces are interrelated with themselves, such as“Life is an elephant”, “Who is smiling when the flowers bloom”, “Setting off the fireworks of swallows”, etc. , which add meanings and imaginations to the pictures beyond the visual imageries.They are metaphorical expressions of the inner spirits.They are humorous and deft as well.
Zhang Yongfei’s artworks also have elements of surrealism. He tends to convey emotions through the transformations of the symbols, and appeals to the canvas in a restrained and introverted way. This emotions extend beyond the canvas, flowing with warm guardianship of his family, sincere care for friends and deep meditation on the nature of all things. Even though his artpieces are a little small in size, they show his sincere desire to accommodate the world and the vigorous vitality in a small space. These recurring yellow squares, red triangles, white circles, green semicircles and blue water droplets correspond to the five basic elements of the universe;the Horizon, the sky and the mountains in the distance allude to the vastness of the world.
Zhang Yongfei’s creations are not only the contemporary interpretations of “Tiny places reveal the world”,but also spiritual theatres built in small spaces-like the wind at the end of a blue duckweed, seemingly small, yet full of boundless spiritual energy.
The exhibition will last until May 25th,2025.
