NI YOUYU

(B.1984)

The Painting Exhibition in the Woods

Footnotes

Provenance
Private Collection, Asia

倪有魚
林中繪畫
壓克力 畫布 裱於藝術家畫框
2021年作

簽名：Ni 2021（右下）

來源
亞洲私人收藏

Among the generation of artists born in the 1980s in China, Ni Youyu stands out as a uniquely imaginative figure. His works embody both a profound historical weight and a refined, fictive modernity. He has developed multiple systematic creative series—each intricate and experimental, yet interconnected with one another.

The Painting Exhibition in the Woods not only showcases Ni Youyu's contemporary reimagining of art history but also highlights his original "water wash" technique. The repeated layering and washing of colors create surfaces that exude a warmth and sheen reminiscent of ancient paintings. The composition of the artwork is equally masterful, juxtaposing spaces akin to a museum and a forest, with the artworks suspended from tree trunks. Within this immersive environment, viewers experience a curated exhibition that blurs the boundaries between reality and illusion, featuring representative works from various series created by the artist.

As Ni eloquently states, "Gold is a fictive luxury." Gold serves not only as a prominent color extensively utilized in the Water Wash series but also as the hue framing the works in antique gold frames, intricately adorned with Baroque patterns that resonate with the imagery. This lavish presentation enhances the surreal quality of the pieces, symbolizing the exquisite dialogue the artist establishes between historical art and contemporary sensibilities.

在中國80後這一代藝術家中，倪有魚是非常獨特的一位，他充滿奇思妙想，他的作品既有著厚重與滄桑的歷史感，又具有精緻而虛構的現代性。他有多個系統性的創作序列，每一個都精妙富有實驗性，且系列彼此之間也相互聯繫。

《林中繪畫》不僅展現了藝術家倪有魚以當代的視角重構藝術史，以及其獨創的「水沖」技法，反覆沖刷上色的畫面，斑駁肌理間呈現出了如古畫一般溫潤光澤。《林中繪畫》構圖亦頗為精妙，將類似於美術館和樹林的空間並置，將畫作掛於樹幹之上，置身畫中彷彿在觀看一場虛實掩映，精妙玩味的策展，而這場展覽陳列的畫作正是藝術家的一張張不同系列的代表作。如藝術家所言：「金色是虛構的奢華」，金色不僅是水沖系列大面積使用到的顏色，亦是藝術家為作品所配的金色古董畫框，其雕工繁複的巴洛克紋樣與畫面形成呼應，不僅非常華麗，也使作品更具超現實之感，象徵著藝術家在藝術史與當代性之間所建立的絕妙對話。