English
The Istanbul Modern is presenting the work of Chinese photographer Yao Lu with new exhibition Los Nuevos Paisajes, on until the 22nd May. Lu´s aesthetic is based around ecology and industrial waste – and with landscapes created to look like classical Chinese paintings.
Yao Lu was born in Beijing, China in 1967. Though he studied engraving at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Lu chose to explore the photography medium, becoming a professor of design at the Griffith University´s Queensland College of Art. Yu developed his personal style, mixing the techniques of photography, painting and design.
Whilst Lu bases himself in conceptual art, many of his paintings are also reminiscent of both expressionism and traditional Chinese art. His works, on one level, possess the harmony and beauty of the pastoral landscape paintings of the Chinese medieval period, but also, upon closer inspection, themes of violence, and protest against the destruction of nature, and natural beauty.
Lu has travelled round China photographing different signs of societal destruction – it is a complex, time-consuming project which is carried out in three stages. First, he covers mountains of rubbish with green fabric, photographs them from different angles, and then finally loads the images onto a computer, adding digital effects to give them an element of the classic Chinese water-colour landscape paintings.
Lu´s skill as a photographer helps him to observe nature, in order to be able to transfer its imagery, beauty and impact onto the canvas, and combine them with a powerful conceptual message. He directs his criticism at the damaging effects of industry on the environment. His apocalyptic mountains of rubbish covered up with fabric are an example of this visual message about human´s violence towards the planet.
But Lu´s work is more than just political preaching – there is also a strong sense of poetic symbolism, and his representation of the beauty of landscapes – like the mountains revitalised by the mist of dawn – remind us of the human capacity to create beauty through art. He exhibited his work in Beijing art galleries for the BMW-Photo of Paris 2008 and won the first prize, a sum $15,000.
For more information http://www.istanbulmodern.org/en/f_index.html
Nancy Guzman
Spring on the banks of the Bosforo is a true pleasure – and all the more so with this brilliant artist on show at the Istanbul modern. And top it all off with rent apartments in Istanbul to go back to.
Translated by: Poppy
