Lot 308, Auction 4/20/2026: Yang Yang Mixed Media Painting w/ Inscription (2016)

$910.00

In stock

Yang Yang (Chinese-American, b. 1953). Untitled. Mixed media painting, 2016. Signed at lower right. A dreamlike fusion of gesture, color, and form, this mixed-media painting by Yang Yang embodies the artist’s enduring fascination with transformation and mythic unity. Rendered in delicate washes of watercolor, layered pigments, and expressive line work, the composition unfolds across an elongated field of radiant hues – soft violets and aquas giving way to a glowing band of red, orange, and gold. Within this prismatic expanse, semi-abstract human and animal figures emerge and dissolve, their contours sketched in a restless choreography of motion and metamorphosis. The painting’s ethereal atmosphere reflects Yang’s philosophy that art should not offer answers but invite contemplation. Here, the figures seem suspended between worlds, their forms shifting in and out of focus like memories half-remembered. Size of painting: 42.5″ W x 15.75″ H (108 cm x 40 cm); of frame: 43.25″ W x 16.5″ H (109.9 cm x 41.9 cm)

The rhythmic interplay of line and color recalls both the influence of traditional Chinese brushwork and the fluid spontaneity of Western abstraction, merging two artistic lineages into a language uniquely Yang’s own. Dedicated personally to a friend and mentor, this work carries an added layer of intimacy – a testament not only to artistic expression but to human connection. Yang’s mastery lies in his ability to evoke universality through ambiguity, allowing his mythic beings to inhabit a timeless, borderless realm of spirit and imagination.

About the artist: Born in 1953 in Nanchang, China, Yang Yang grew up in a household grounded in both engineering and education. His father, Yang Ge, was an engineer and his mother, Qi Hua Ling, a teacher. At age sixteen, Yang encountered the painter Zhu Yu Hu, whose influence would remain profound throughout his life. He later described Zhu not merely as an art teacher but as a mentor who shaped both his artistic foundation and his philosophical outlook.

In 1975, Yang graduated from Yichun Teachers College in Jiangxi. He began his teaching career at Xiao Gang High School and later taught at Nanchang Qishanhu School, balancing his duties as a literature instructor with an increasing devotion to art. During this period he also pursued further study at Jiangxi Teachers College, where professors Qixianmu and Zhang Yuanyou left a lasting impact on him – Yang would later call them “soul makers.”

In 1984, Yang Yang made a pivotal decision: he left China and moved to the United States to deepen his artistic studies. At Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he earned his Master of Arts degree in 1987 and joined the faculty there as an art instructor. His years in the Midwest proved formative, both academically and artistically, and introduced his works to American audiences for the first time. His early exhibitions gained critical attention, with works featured in publications such as “ArtNews,” “Interview Magazine,” and “Art & Antiques.”

Yang Yang’s art is marked by its mythical landscapes where animals and humans coexist in fluid, ambiguous states. His palette often gravitates toward monochromatic tones, layering texture and form to explore humanity in ways that defy racial or ethnic boundaries. His works provoke interpretation rather than provide resolution. As the artist himself has said: “There is no answer. You just have to think about it. If the artist does not tell the story, there will be a thousand stories.”

Throughout his career, Yang Yang has exhibited widely across the United States and internationally. He has shown at major institutions such as the Xi’an Art Museum in 2004, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2007, and the ShanDong Art Museum in 2014. His work has been collected by notable institutions including the Mobile Museum of Art and continues to appear at international fairs such as Art Basel, Art Palm Beach, Scope Miami, and Art Hamptons.

With more than four decades of work, Yang Yang has cultivated a vision that transcends cultural boundaries. His paintings invite audiences into an illusory world – one where myth, history, and memory intermingle, and where every viewer becomes a storyteller.

Condition: Mounted behind glass in custom frame with suspension wire on verso. Painting has not been examined outside of frame, but appears to be in excellent overall condition. Signed at lower right. Inscribed “To my friend Dr. Louis Angarita with affection your student Yang Yang 2016 Christmas.”

Provenance: private Burbank, Illinois, USA collection via inheritance 2024, acquired between 1970s to 2000s

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