Yang Qian was born in Chengdu in 1959 and graduated from Oil Painting Class from Sichuan Fine Art Institute in 1982. He had lived in the USA for many years. As an experimental artist, he has been so enchanted in the artistic changes. His artworks explore the way beyond the current art philosophy with visual and mental surprise. Right now, Yang Qian is one of the most active artists in Chinese contemporary art.

　　Yang’s art is alternative in Chinese contemporary art, and becomes a special artistic phenomenon which moves in a cross-medium field between painting and installation. Yang wisely but sharply reveals the pressure and stimulation carried by the traditional painting at the contemporary age. In this way, he combines the elements of the Chinese traditional painting and of the Western modern painting to variably reflect the conflicts in many aspects and levels such as tradition and modernity, Chinese and the West, and the individual and the age. Also, such artistic reflections point to the accurate connection and understanding of the problems of the complex social sentiments.

　　In recent years, Yang’s artworks, such as series of Bathroom Painting, Kinetic Painting and Dual Painting, are most concerned with images and details of the lives, seizing a variety of exquisite emotions undergoing in daily life. Yang evolves the painting to be a mobile space that integrates painting, photography, sculpture and installation. All of his artworks carry variable expressions of emotions by transforming and deconstructing the materials and the physical signification. Yang uses such a completely new visual form to reflect his insight into the society. Also, he tries for abstract inheritance and creative alternation on the historical mental culture, digging up the complicated social relation and emotions in the society.

　　Yang Qian’s Solo Exhibition curated by Yang Wei in Suzhou is entitled with Shredded Maze. This exhibition tries to present a cultural contemplation from the material to the mentality, while it is produced for the impression on the history and culture of Suzhou. In fact, in the collective memory of the men of letters in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou owned an irreplaceable position in sense of history and culture. Besides the beautiful scenery in mountains and hills and customs, Suzhou is famous for its historic relics, abundant famous literal talents. It also a prosperous town with numerous merchants and shopping stores. More sensationally, Suzhou’s cultural symbols are its cultural legends and love stories of the young person, leisure life styles. Physically, Suzhou presents its luxuriant dresses and house decorations, exquisite household utensils of food and drinking, luxuriant night life as well as numerous catering and parties to the world. If all the scraps of paper used to Yang’s artworks imply certain signification to the variable problems arousing in the mass consumption society, then it will raise kind of nostalgia for a time when you see Yang’s works in an European-style architecture with column shafts in Ionic Order designed by Yan Wenliang, which is located nearby Chang Lang Pavilion, in Suzhou which is believed a typical place of consumption society afar in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. At the meanwhile, Suzhou is sure raising more considerations and questions for its unique literature and arts and exquisite physical culture which derivate from the city’s transformation from the physic to the mentality, and vice verse. .

　　In Yang’s solo exhibition, Yang donates one of his best artworks to Suzhou Art Museum. Suzhou Art Museum was founded in 1927, nearby Changlang Pavilion, along with Suzhou Art School. In a sense, it was the first museum officially named by the government. After 80 years of social changes and wars, it remains on the site of former Suzhou Art School against those of art schools or art activity sites in the early Chinese art history. This is, called Rome Building by the locals, considered one of the origins of the Chinese oil painting, displaying the hard but beautiful historical outline. Nowadays, the museum plays more and more important role on the way to large advance and prosperity of human culture. Therefore, as one of the key construction program of Suzhou 11th Five-year Planning and Suzhou Key Cultural Landmark Program, the new museum’ is under construction and to be completed at the end of 2010. The new building plans to take a broader vision on the advance of Chinese and world art. In the future, the museum will take efforts on the collection, art research, exhibition, training, promotion and marketing as well as resources development. Besides, the museum will keep its cultural identity to continue its development and accumulation and also go on experiment and innovation. Based on this effort, the museum is devoted to be a social space irreplaceable. The collections in the museum were donated by Yan Wenliang, Ju Shijie and other school mates. These art works undertake the academy and research direction in a long run while reflecting essential source of visual images in every age or historic period. In the new historic period, Yang’s donation is a great contribution to the collection of the museum and also sees cultural vision of the museum.

　　Yang’s solo exhibition held in the cultural site of the museum with a long history expresses a powerful force compounding cultural history and modern art. I hope it is a great chance for audience to see the profound meaning in the Yang’s works. Also, I believe it is the chance for all audience to gain more recognition and understanding of the achievement of Chinese painting art in this way of exploration. I’d like to give my thanks to Yang for his efforts and well preparation for this exhibition as well as his donation to the museum. Many thanks are given to Yang Wei for his careful curating and to many others who have worked for exhibition and donation.

作者：Yang,Wentao,,Deputy,Director,of,Suzhou,Art,Museum