清影

Inna Art Space is honoured to announce that we will present "Warped World", a solo exhibition by

Yuchu Gao on 4 November 2023 at 3pm, which is also the first solo exhibition of her in China,

showcasing her most recent works.

In her work, faces and figures are in a constant state of flux. Her charcoal drawing characters are

depicted in a distorted and transformative form. She addresses the theme of femininity and

transformation, both physically and psychologically, as well as socially and culturally. Her paper

work is rich with charcoal powder, where light and heavy lines intermingle, highlighting her unique

artistic touch. Through the medium, she presents a multi-dimensional portrayal of the female figure

across various timelines, which offer a full and rich response to the present.

Viewers might recognise various female forms from different periods in human history within her

work, as well as the fusion and flux between the depictions. The portraiture carries the potential for

body transformation. Thus, time in historical artistry isn't strictly linear; it's re-envisioned as a

captivating mode of perception. Here, the fluidity of these emotional forms becomes the central

subject of experience.

This blend of time, history, and imagination is also evident in Gao's drawing series "Contemporary

Inna Art Space is honoured to announce that we will present "Warped World", a solo exhibition by

Yuchu Gao on 4 November 2023 at 3pm, which is also the first solo exhibition of her in China,

showcasing her most recent works.

In her work, faces and figures are in a constant state of flux. Her charcoal drawing characters are

depicted in a distorted and transformative form. She addresses the theme of femininity and

transformation, both physically and psychologically, as well as socially and culturally. Her paper

work is rich with charcoal powder, where light and heavy lines intermingle, highlighting her unique

artistic touch. Through the medium, she presents a multi-dimensional portrayal of the female figure

across various timelines, which offer a full and rich response to the present.

Viewers might recognise various female forms from different periods in human history within her

work, as well as the fusion and flux between the depictions. The portraiture carries the potential for

body transformation. Thus, time in historical artistry isn't strictly linear; it's re-envisioned as a

captivating mode of perception. Here, the fluidity of these emotional forms becomes the central

subject of experience.

This blend of time, history, and imagination is also evident in Gao's drawing series "Contemporary

Portraits." The subjects in these works sway between clarity and ambiguity, their enigmatic

narratives born from the artist's introspection and thoughts about modern life.

In her studio, Gao recalls the impressions of figures from everyday interactions, objects, or

fragments from news and press photos. Through her observations, she discerns distinct

"contemporary" temperaments. Here, "contemporary" surpasses the present moment, signifying a

melding of different times. It doesn't imply detachment from the past but instead mirrors a blend of

influences from varied epochs.

During her residency at Inna Art Space, she transformed sheets of paper by tearing them into

diverse sizes and then sticking them together, crafting a surface evoking thoughts of sculpture or

architecture. What began as two-dimensional strokes ascended to a near three-dimensional realm. Many figures in these works derive from ancient art forms of civilisations along the Mediterranean

coast as well as Central and South Asia. Gao seeks unity among these cultural diversities, creating

a harmonious blend in her depictions. To her, these images symbolise the imprints of human life

and experiences, exuding palpable energy.

Echoing this sentiment, Yuchu Gao references Yuval Noah Harari's perspective on studying

history: "not in order to predict the future, but to free yourself of the past and imagine alternative

destinies." In this vision of an "alternative destiny," the criteria for what's considered unusual or

standard are constantly shifting. "Warped World" can be seen as a crack, a partial truth, through

which one can catch a glimpse of some other possibility in another world, and even go so far as to

begin to conceive of an unimaginable unknown

The exhibition will run until December 20th.