AroundSpace is thrilled to present Beijing artist Wang Yuping’s solo exhibition, Around Every Corner, exhibiting the artist’s achievements in the last ten years.

A native Beijinger, Wang Yuping graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA) in 1989 and has taught at his alma mater. He has a laidback and content temperament and demeanor as seen in old-school Beijing intellectuals. Wang has a passion for the street scenes and people in Beijing, as well as any seemingly insignificant objects at hand. The paper-based watercolor pieces shown in this exhibition depict ordinary subjects that are of little importance, but carry profound meanings and selected tastes: the nostalgic World Art journals that once offered Wang’s generation of art students the only source of international art news, those translated novels, crumpled Camel cigarette packs, and German beer bottles indicate desired foreign lifestyles, and the comic books, iron pencil boxes and plastic writing boards constitutes Wang’s childhood memory. Wang made these watercolor pieces with easy brushstrokes and delicate colors. He captured the details precisely but were not bound to the original objects. With his masterful skills, it no long matters what he paints; and he can depict everything and anything at ease.

Wang Yuping is enthusiastic about painting. He finds inspiration from around every corner in life and keeps a distance from the madding world. For him, painting is an enjoyment, a way of living, instead of a method to prove himself, or a path to achieve any goals. He stated that he enjoyed painting on the street of Beijing, capturing the red Palace wall covered with white snow and workers wearing orange jumpsuits under the blue sky, just like “dreaming under the sun,” when time seems to slow down while he paints. These street scenes remind the viewer of the landscapes David Hockney painted on iPad lately, splendorous yet effortless. Shown in this exhibition, Yong Jia Road, a rare interpretation of Shanghai’s street scene by the artist, successfully captured the unique style and structure of Shanghai's French Concession, with a delicate color scheme and intricate composition, which differs from the street scene in Beijing in every respect.

In Wang Yuping’s earlier works, free-styled images were influenced by German Expressionists and the beguiling color scheme can be traced back to the Nabi movement in the late 19^th century, which contributed to a personal style between naturalism and surrealism. Since then, he has developed a more relaxed and spontaneous style, experimenting with Western Expressionism and Chinese freehand brushwork (Xie Yi), conflating Western and Eastern approaches, and forming his own classics. It is the kind of soothing and comfortable state of mind in Wang’s work that attracts the viewer the most. His carefree and unaggressive manner fits perfectly with the most popular and latest fashion, a sense of relaxation.

Wang Yuping’s art is like the winter sun in Northern China, mild yet mighty, around every corner.