A Journey Through Change and Expression
Yi Zhu’s artistic evolution is deeply intertwined with China’s historical transformation, spanning from the Mao Zedong era to the reforms of Deng Xiaoping. Born into a time of sweeping political and social shifts, he witnessed firsthand the restructuring of economic landscapes and ideological paradigms. These experiences shaped his worldview, cultivating a perspective that embraces both deconstruction and reconstruction—not only as a philosophy of life but as a defining principle of his art. His early work in printmaking and illustration reflected a keen eye for visual composition, establishing a foundation that would later merge with his commercial design expertise.
His career took a pivotal turn when he ventured into the business world, leading his own design company and pioneering point-of-sale advertising strategies in China. Engaging with the commercial sector exposed him to the fierce competition and emotional struggles that underlie human ambition and desire. These observations informed his artistic sensibilities, compelling him to depict themes of tension, longing, and existential pursuit. During this period, he created numerous prints and oil paintings that articulated a philosophical dialogue between material existence and spiritual introspection. As a self-proclaimed practitioner of deconstructivism and reconstructivism in painting, he positions his work within the broader discourse of contemporary Chinese and global art, challenging conventional visual narratives.
The outbreak of the global pandemic marked another turning point in his artistic exploration. Faced with the unpredictability of life, he returned to painting with renewed intensity, capturing the psychological weight of isolation and survival. His creative philosophy, centered on the physical and metaphorical act of breathing, reflects the fundamental rhythms of existence. He perceives exhalation as a representation of tension and inhalation as an embodiment of contraction—both necessary forces in maintaining the equilibrium of life. Through his work, he asserts that existence should not be stifled; rather, it must be allowed the freedom to expand, transform, and express itself without constraint.
Yi Zhu: A Visual Language Beyond Structure
Yi Zhu’s artistic practice revolves around the deconstruction of material reality and the reconstruction of an imagined spiritual dimension. His paintings exist at the intersection of abstraction and surrealism, where fragmented forms and bold color contrasts create a dynamic, introspective experience. Rather than merely depicting external reality, he reshapes it, constructing a visual language that transcends rigid structures and predetermined meanings. His work challenges the way viewers perceive identity, emotion, and the passage of time, presenting a world where human figures, organic elements, and architectural forms intertwine in unexpected configurations.
Symbolism plays a crucial role in his compositions, where recurring motifs such as eyes, lips, and limbs serve as metaphors for perception, communication, and corporeal existence. The juxtaposition of vibrant primary colors with muted earth tones enhances the emotional depth of his paintings, guiding the viewer through an exploration of inner and outer realities. In his series Disrespectful Intrusion and Concrete Space, he examines themes of constraint and liberation, reflecting on the societal forces that seek to suppress human expression. This ongoing dialogue between structure and fluidity echoes existentialist thought, reinforcing the idea that life itself is a continuous cycle of expansion and contraction.
His work also draws inspiration from Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophy, particularly the notion that language shapes perception. Zhu extends this concept into the realm of visual art, where meaning exists independently of tangible forms. Just as the color red remains conceptually intact even when a red object is destroyed, his paintings explore the resilience of spiritual and emotional essence beyond physical constraints. Through his deconstructivist-reconstructivist approach, he invites viewers into a parallel world where rigid structures dissolve, allowing for the emergence of new visual possibilities and existential perspectives.
The Intersection of Memory and Perception
Among Yi Zhu’s most significant works, My World and This World No. 02 stands as a deeply personal reflection on his experiences during China’s Cultural Revolution. Having witnessed the ideological conflicts and social upheavals of that time, he internalized the chaos of his surroundings, translating those memories into a surreal and symbolic composition. In this painting, the stark contrast between pink and blue backgrounds represents two opposing yet interconnected realities—his subjective internal world and the objective external world. The fragmented limbs scattered across the canvas convey a sense of disorientation, struggle, and unease, while the prominently featured eyes symbolize observation, perception, and the scrutiny of reality.
The painting’s bold brushstrokes and irregular linework enhance its sense of movement and tension, capturing the psychological complexity of an individual navigating an unstable environment. By layering abstract forms with figurative elements, Zhu reconstructs the contradictions between personal identity and societal expectations. His artistic approach is not merely about representation but about evoking the viewer’s own sense of displacement, reflection, and emotional resonance. The question he poses through this work—whether the essence of an idea or emotion can be shattered like a physical object—remains central to his creative philosophy.
This interplay between memory and perception extends beyond personal experience, addressing broader issues of geopolitics, culture, war, migration, and environmental change. His paintings function as both personal meditations and collective narratives, bridging the past and present through visual storytelling. The complexity of his work encourages viewers to engage in their own introspection, prompting them to question the nature of reality and the forces that shape individual and collective consciousness.
Yi Zhu: Expanding the Boundaries of Artistic Expression
For Yi Zhu, the creative process is not confined to a specific medium or material but rather revolves around the essence of visual language itself. Whether working with oil on canvas, printmaking, or mixed media, he prioritizes the transmission of meaning over the physicality of artistic tools. His workspace, which he likens to a black hole absorbing vast amounts of dark matter, reflects his deep engagement with the mysteries of existence. Within this space, he explores the tensions between life and materiality, treating artistic creation as a continuous journey of discovery. Books and philosophical inquiry serve as his guiding stars, fueling his pursuit of knowledge and conceptual depth.
Currently, he is preparing a new series titled The Century of Solitude of Life, a project that challenges him to define solitude within a visual framework. This thematic exploration pushes the boundaries of his artistic vocabulary, requiring him to translate an abstract existential concept into a tangible form. The series aims to examine the nature of isolation, introspection, and the passage of time, further expanding his ongoing dialogue on the complexities of human existence.
Yi Zhu’s impact on contemporary art lies in his ability to merge deconstructivism with emotional resonance, offering works that not only challenge structural conventions but also invite profound introspection. His paintings do not merely depict subjects—they evoke thoughts, emotions, and tensions that exist between the individual and the world. By breaking down material constructs and reassembling them within a spiritual and philosophical context, he creates a bridge between the tangible and the intangible, inviting viewers to see themselves within his work. Through his distinctive visual language, he continues to redefine the possibilities of artistic expression, constructing a space where the soul finds its place between imagination and reality.
