Top: Look at History from a Different Angle, synthetic painting by Xiao Daniu. Above left: Incident II, oil painting by Li Baoxun. Above right: You or I, oil painting by Zhang Wenrong. Provided to China Daily

A sextet of young, contemporary Chinese artists are revealed in a new exhibition of works. Chen Nan reviews the art.

Wang Lin spent four years studying art history at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, where he learned how art evolved. It made him think about China's contemporary artists, who they are and the stories behind their works.

The 28-year-old explored the question by working as an art magazine editor and writing art reviews. Now, as an independent curator, he holds exhibitions of young artists.

His ongoing exhibition in Beijing's 798 Art Zone, Beyond Style, gathers six Chinese artists and Wang attempts to unveil their thought processes by doing interviews and observing how they work.

"I want to show how their styles have been formed and elaborate their artworks by letting themselves say something to the audience," Wang says.

By doing so, he put quotes of the six artists along with their works, introducing their ideas to the audience.

Early this year, Wang prepared for the exhibition by visiting the artists, having selected both artists he knew of and were new to him.

He was surprised to find they had one thing in common: They don't belong to any established schools and had formed their own working styles by experimenting and breaking away from tradition.

Li Yiwen graduated from the mural painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and his style has been heavily influenced by photography.

His works on display at the exhibition include paintings and photos, informing viewers how one affected the other.

From 2011 to 2012, Li took lots of pictures every day and painted them, in both small and large formats.

"Art students receive many academic influences, which both benefits and hurts their art development," says Li, 31. "I want to keep myself away from academic art and express sophisticated emotions through each artwork."

This can be observed in his use of colors. He never uses white but instead adopts silver and the result is more vivid and rich, he says.

Unlike Li, who was trained at an art academy, Wang Rongzhi, 29, is a self-taught artist. He got a brief art training in Guizhou province and upon graduation in 2006 he chose "cats" as his theme. "I felt lonely and lost and I thought the cat has a similar character," Wang says.

During recent years Wang has focused on forests to express his views about the arts market. "I like using symbols to express my emotions. For me, style is a kind of habit," he says.

According to the curator Wang Lin, advanced technology also influences the young Chinese artists' development.

Xiao Daniu likes surfing online for inspiration. An oil painting department graduate of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, he says the Internet informs but does not form his art.

Typically, he finds a picture online, reinterprets it and displays his re-imagination.

"Finding my art style is like a mind game, unconscious but evolving," the 30-year-old says. "It's a slow process. Sometimes solitude and inner struggle help promote it."

Other artists featured in the show are Li Baoxun, Li Xiaoqi and Zhang Wenrong.

Wang Lin says he hopes to keep the exhibition going by inviting other young Chinese artists to join in.

"I hope the exhibition shows the context of how an artist works, rather than simply looking and saying. Sometimes the most personal and greatest part of an artwork cannot be told through words," he says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 06/30/2013 page15)