Cang Yuan: Awakening of Consciousness

Art Talk

Topic: From Xi’an to Paris. My experience of the contemporary art scene in China and France.

Speaker: Cang Yuan

Date & Time: 3 Jun, 2023 (Sat) 2:30 – 4:30 PM

Cang Yuan is known as “the new representative of Western contemporary abstraction” and the fourth generation of French-based painters after Lin Fengmian, Sanyu and Zhao Wou-ki. Cang presents his quest for a unique path of abstraction through accretion of canvases.

The theme Awakening of Consciousness grew out of the interpretations of the artist himself about his works in letters to friends. “By finishing the first piece of work of this series, I slowly started to touch the essence of perception, as well as the essence of consciousness.” The “Consciousness Series” reveals the connection between the human body, spirit, desire, space, external experience, moral sense, and worldview. As his art further cut off from realism and nature, he transformed his aesthetic approach from scenic poetry to philosophical and spiritual poetry, rooted solely in the internal experience. Breaking through the ordinary paradigm of abstract art, Cang further amplifies his unique painting language, masters the fusion of colors, and integrates philosophical reflections.

About Exhibition

After The Realm Without Shape – French Art Exhibition became an important part of the exhibition event in Le French May 2022, Art of Nature once again collaborates with the Le France May in 2023, to present the Cang Yuan: Awakening of Consciousness, a solo exhibition showcasing the new abstract paintings from “Conscience Series” created by Cang Yuan, a French-based artist. The exhibition will be on view from June 2 to July 14.

If the past works of Cang can be described as a fusion of the refined natural spirit of the real world and the artist’s subjectivity, then after the change in the creative style in 2021, his creation has transformed into a poetic expression rooted in personal introspection and spirituality. The “Consciousness Series” encompasses Cang’s further philosophical exploration of this theme, revealing the interpretation of human consciousness experience, calligraphy, and religious ideas through his works. It further shows his transcendence of the framework of abstract art, and his control of aesthetic language and color.

The lines in the painting are like the departure of the artist’s consciousness, born through the veins of the body and the control of hands, finally materialized on the canvas. The movement and flow of paints, the effects of textures, the contrast of light and darkness, the mastery of spatial depth or enclosure, the conflicting and dramatic effects of the image, as well as the simplicity and purity, are all combined with bright, saturated tones of red, pink, yellow, and light green, presenting the artist’s transcendence in abstract form, concept, and pure aesthetics. The artist’s distinctive personality and unique painting style will also leave a profound impression on the audience.

Art of Nature and artist Cang Yuan invite the audience to Awakening of Consciousness to enter the artist’s world of consciousness through the illusory images.