This week at Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Agreement projects stage solo presentation”Eiskapelle», consisting of a series of four video works by Chinese artist Yang Dingliu (born in 1992). Based in Germany, Yang’s project centers on the Eiskapelle ice cave located in the mountains surrounding Lake Königssee in Schönau am Königsee, Germany. Eiskapelle, which means “ice chapel” in German, succumbs to climate-related destruction, and Yang’s work illustrates how the melting and erosion of ice can seem slow to an individual observer, from a perspective universal, they will disappear in the blink of an eye. an eye. Within the framework of the presentation at Art Basel Hong Kong, the placement of the individual video works evokes the topological arrangement of the depicted details of the landscape.
Through extensive post-production intervention in the videos, Yang is able to tap into ideas around nature, history, and perception. These conceptual imperatives are a constant theme in the artist’s practice, with many of her projects centering on very specific places with which she develops a personal resonance.
We caught up with Yang to learn more about his video art efforts and his process of working with specific locations.
Yang Dingliu, Eiskappel II (2022–23). Courtesy of Mou Projects, Hong Kong.
Tell us about your background, when did you start making video art?
My painting education officially started in high school when I studied at the Affiliated High School of China Academy of Arts. I majored in engraving at China Academy of Art and focused on Chinese traditional woodcut filigree. I was practicing making videos when I started my studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, but my interest in video really took off when my friend lent me a cinema projector in my final year – I took it to a friend and I projected photos taken during the summer all over the world. house and in the yard, but later I felt it wasn’t enough, so I borrowed a small video projector again, and that was the start of everything.
Mou Projects presents your work in “Eiskapelle” at Art Basel Hong Kong. Can you talk about the works in the exhibition?
It is a similar approach to my graduation project “Uryouland” completed six months ago in that both attempt to reconstruct the landscape in an abstract and symbolic way. The difference is that “Uryouland” presents a purely fictional location, while “Eiskapelle” is an effort to record and preserve this vanishing landscape as authentically as possible.
What initially inspired this series of works?
Lots of influences drawn from Song and Yuan Dynasty landscape paintings.
Yang Dingliu, Eiskappel III (2022–23). Courtesy of Mou Projects, Hong Kong.
For fair visitors who see your work, what do you hope to inspire? What do you want viewers to remember?
I have always pleaded for open and free interpretations instead of imposing certain points of view on the viewer; if they’re willing to stop, watch and experience the work for a while, that’s all that matters.
Can you tell us a bit about your creative process and how these works were made?
I would usually research beforehand, choose an area and stay there long enough until the place resonated with me – then I would start my shoot, and only then; this process is a bit like panning for gold. Doing research beforehand allows me to see and recognize the value of a certain place, and this process involves a myriad of factors as well as coincidences.
Yang Dingliu, Eiskappel IV (2022–23). Courtesy of Mou Projects, Hong Kong.
Where do you most often find inspiration? Are there artists – historical or contemporary – who have most influenced your work?
I think the most fundamental inspiration comes from observing nature, people, objects and my environment in general. For me, studies of art, knowledge and technology are also part of the learning process, and the essence of this process is to translate and transform the skills acquired and the inspiration found in the momentum and the power of the works produced.
What’s next on the horizon for you? Are there any other upcoming projects or series that you can tell us about?
Recently, I have moved from observing nature to observing moments in the natural environment. The next step is to prepare a complete project for Mou Projects’ solo exhibition, focusing on some water-related movements, which can also be filmed in a richer and longer way, almost like documentaries, and putting featured video installations as well as works of sculpture. inspired by the previous one.
“Yang Dingliu: Eiskappelpresented by Mou Projects is presented at Art Basel Hong Kong from March 23 to 25, 2023.
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay one step ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news, revealing interviews and incisive reviews that move the conversation forward.
