Wang Yizhou's 'Art of Distillation' Showcased at Aurora Museum

Key facts

• Wang Yizhou was born in 1968 in Jiangsu, China, and lives and works in Shanghai.
• His artistic practice is based on 'Art of Distillation,' a process of subtraction.
• The solo exhibition 'The Quiet Sublime' was held at Aurora Museum in Shanghai in 2026.
• The exhibition was curated by Dr. Katie Hill and Lian Shaw.
• Wang's early period (1990s-early 2000s) is known as 'Black Time,' focusing on ink painting, water surfaces, fishermen, and figures.
• The Lotus series emerged in the mid-2000s, featuring upright lotus stems as abstract linear symbols.
• Since 2010, the Mountain and Eternal River series have become his most representative works.
• Wang's thinking is influenced by the I Ching and Daoist philosophy, emphasizing 'reducing form while increasing spirit.'
• Line is a central element, originating from calligraphy and Chinese painting traditions.
• Wang was influenced by Western Abstract Expressionism in the late 1990s but returned to Chinese cultural context.
• His work engages in a spiritual dialogue with Sanyu and Barnett Newman.
• The Mountain series uses a single brushstroke to delineate the marker between earth and sky (tiandi).
• Dr. Katie Hill states Wang's practice connects with over two thousand years of Chinese painting and modernism.
• Wang's practice offers a path distinct from Western Minimalism, rooted in Eastern philosophical concepts.