EVENT DESCRIPTION
Yan Jingzhou’s works in this exhibition present an overall tension structure interwoven with absurdist drama and modern literature. Between image and narrative, they touch upon subtle layers of human relationships to some extent, calling for ideals of equality and freedom, and delicately exploring the depths of emotion. Some pieces reveal themes of love and identity, others observe geopolitical relations, pay homage to the classics, or reinterpret the cultural genes of his hometown. His paintings resemble mirrors illuminated by many beams of reflected light, in which countless faces—those masked by social norms—shed their disguises one by one, silently telling their own monologues.
The precisely shaped and textured figure “Buster” transcends barriers of identity, wandering between a Kafkaesque absurd stage and a Shakespearean spectrum of humanity. Everyday scenes—building sandcastles by the sea, checking out at a register, swimming pools, trash bins—become meaningful “soliloquies.” The unseen elements—the rustling sound of digging sand, brief eye contact at the checkout, laughter when water splashes—reflect the defined gender roles; though the characters’ gazes may seem somewhat vacant, they reveal deep care, delicately sketching the beautiful coexistence between people. This “coexistence” is both warm and fragile, interpreting profound love within subtle tension.
ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER
YAN JINGZHOU, b. 1995, Handan, Hebei province, China Lives and works in Beijing, China.Yan Jingzhou graduated from Hebei Normal University School of Arts and Design in 2018, from the Department of Oil Painting. He went on to study at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 2022 with a major in Oil Painting. Starting from 2024, he is pursuing a PhD degree at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts.
“Buster” runs through his entire body of work. It is not a character, nor the title of a series, but a way of seeing and building. It keeps a light tone without offering ease; it borrows the language of humor, only to withdraw the punchline at the last moment. Its aim is not to entertain, but to interrupt laughter halfway and leave a pause behind.
