YANGYANG PAN: SULTRY GARDEN
FEBRUARY 8TH - MARCH 3RD
FEBRUARY 8TH - MARCH 3RD
OPENING RECEPTION: SATURDAY FEB. 9TH, 2-4PM
We are excited to present Yangyang Pan's latest series of oil paintings Sultry Garden.
This is Pan's 4th solo exhibition with Dianna Witte Gallery. Please
join us for an opening reception with the artist present on Saturday
February 9th from 2-4PM.
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Qi
is a spiritual energy that represents a vital energy in Chinese
culture. It roughly translates to “air.” In YangYang Pan’s paintings,
the spirit of Qi is palatable. The work vibrates with the richly
pigmented colours and palatable brushstrokes. “My abstractions certainly
share an interest in Monet’s light, and the emotional evocation is
rooted in the spirit of Oriental aesthetics,” Pan said.
Pan’s
practice has spanned over ten years, resulting in a visible confidence.
Each brush stroke and choice of colour feel imbued with purpose. The
work in “Sultry Garden,” are highly energetic paintings, looking at
them, you get the sense they are buzzing. Layers of brush strokes
cumulate in a lyrical abstraction made up of a symphony of colours.
Clusters
of forest green make way for yellows and reds, before succumbing to
off-white in “Cheerful Moment.” The downward movement of the paint
strokes invokes the sense of rain, whereas the upward strokes towards
the top of the painting can be read as a metaphor for the growth that
rain begets. It’s hard not to feel happy when looking at Pan's canvases,
yet they avoid being reductive—Pan doesn’t shy away from colours, but
balances out the bright pigments with dark vignettes that frame the
paintings, creating a moodiness and depth to the otherwise upbeat
paintings.
While
the large canvases draw the viewer into the work and fill up a space,
the small works “focus on the compelling details and texture, the subtle
interaction, that may be some kind of reaching out for something more
personal,” Pan said. In one of Pan’s smaller canvases, "Mist Light,” she
uses thick, wide brushstrokes that create a minimalist quality. In
“Sultry Garden,” Pan has begun experimenting with using her fingers and
newspaper to apply paint—the variety of paint strokes are visible and
result in an added intimacy to the work. Pan’s work is gestural, yet
controlled. Her intuition for balance comes through in her paintings in
multiple forms.
