Born 1962

The Norwegian/Chinese artist Yang Zhu works with strong contrasts and symbolism. Yang Zhu studied art at Shanghai University, but moved from Shanghai to Stavanger in 1989 with the desire for a quieter everyday life away from the noise of the city. Here he immerses himself in oil painting and draws great inspiration from Norway's magnificent nature with powerful, expressionistic backgrounds. He builds rough, raw backgrounds and shows extraordinary technical skill.

But Yang Zhu is not a typical Norwegian painter; this is clearly seen in his strict, classical depictions of women, which to a greater extent represent his Chinese origins. The works explore the contrasts between raw nature, the women's unspoiled beauty and the children’s innocent manner – often with an underlying dangerousness that is characteristic of magical realism. The women and children act as the centre of Yang Zhu’s works, and a meditative melancholy rests above them, which is reinforced by the fact that the viewer is never confronted with their gaze. They have their eyes closed, turn their backs or are blindfolded. They are in a quiet dream world.

An almost otherworldly atmosphere rests upon Yang Zhu’s paintings. It is reflected in the characteristic, powerful light and not least in the symbolism of the works. The children and the women's white dresses testify to innocence and stand in stark contrast to the deep, structured backgrounds. The surfaces are softened by birds and hot air balloons, which float through the paintings and take the viewer on a liberating journey. 

With Yang Zhu's elements of magical realism, his works is a direct extension of Gallery V58's profile.