Lévy Gorvy Dayan & Wei is thrilled to present Color, the debut solo exhibition of Chinese artist Tang Yongxiang in Hong Kong. Opening on October 5, Color features 12 new canvases in oil, representing the pinnacle of Tang’s practice over the past decade. The artist draws inspiration from everyday life, by capturing random snapshots and making structural transformations of the original images, Tang delves into the interplay and constant evolution of color, space, and narrative. The exhibition derives its name from one of the most fundamental elements of painting, echoing Tang’s exploration of the profound through presentations.

One of the most influential contemporary artists in China, Tang Yongxiang is celebrated for his distinctive artistic language that masterfully juxtaposes images, shapes, and colors to challenge the viewer’s visual experience and psychological perception. In his latest artwork series shown in the exhibition, Tang continues his exploration on images captured within the intimate sphere of ‘ten meters of life,’ as described by the artist himself. The work Two Trees with a Large Block of Blue on the Right (2023) portrays the trees adjacent to Tang’s studio, while A Bouquet, Apples, and Bananas with a Background in Red and Purple (2023) depicts still-life objects arranged on his home tabletop. Additionally, works such as The Upper Half Is Legs and the Lower Half Is Blue (2023) and A Few Backs Silhouetted with a Green Triangle Below (2023) capture glimpses of parents’ legs at the school gate during Tang’s moments of dropping off or picking up his daughter.

The reproduction of ready-made photography on canvas, however, is merely the initial step in Tang Yongxiang’s practice. The artist then deconstructs the images, as guided by chance and intuition. Tang seeks out points, lines, and surfaces on the canvas, establishing new structural relationships while intentionally breaking traditional compositional rules. Realistic features of the subject matter are concealed beneath layers of oil, and are gradually diminished and fragmented into visual symbols and abstract forms. Negative spaces – the area connecting the subject matters, are strategically positioned at the visual focal point. Consequently, the originalnarratives of the images are then stripped away, allowing them to transcend into the realm of abstraction. Tang describes his painting process as akin to an hourglass, where the reduction of ready-made images represents the upper part of the hourglass, and as the creation progresses, it narrows. Eventually, it reaches a point where the artwork enters the lower part of the hourglass, immersing in constantly developed relationships of forms and colors. The artist does not pur- sue harmony within the composition; instead, Tang deliberately introduces elements to disrupt balance when the visual effect becomes too predictable or pleasing. In the work The Upper Half Is Legs and the Lower Half Is Blue (2023), for instance, a sharp black vertical line intrudes into the composition at the bottom, contrasting with the surrounding blurred brushstrokes and generat- ing tension within the image.

Gallery address: G/F, 2 Ice House St, Central