Yu Nan Cheng’s paintings feature splashes of thick paint applied with a palette knife depicting what seems to be hundreds, or thousands of people on canvas. In his Tai Chi Series, row upon row of taichi practitioners are neatly organised and arrayed against a symbolic setting of Tiananmen Square. While the background of the painting is a dark hue of grey, the figures of the people are depicted in globs of vibrant red.

In Yu Nan Cheng’s work, groupthink seems presented alongside culturally giant iconography. An especially striking reference can be seen in his painting of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his terracotta army. The soldiers face the figure of Qin Shi Huang, in a sea of red hues. The real terracotta army exists in washed out earth tones of clay, and were created for the purpose of funerary art. However Yu Nan Cheng’s use of the colour red conveys vibrant life energy, a group life-force that is amassed together and, subservient to one.

The artist speaks proudly of his Western technique of layers of paint applied with a palette knife, and the laborious drying process that it necessitates. Approximately one year is needed for one painting to dry, and even then, it is not completely dry. Like the condensed, nuggets of paint on his canvas, Yu Nan Cheng’s work packs in contemporary China in its contrasts; its undeniable history, and its developing meaning.

June 2014
Words for Esquire Singapore
Images courtesy of Brand Cellar Pte Ltd