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'Hutong Memory' Press Release




Walking In Snow, Oil on Canvas, 200 x 300 cm, 2007

Hutong Solitude, Oil on Canvas, 170 x 130 cm, 2007

Hutong: the Lonely Street, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 130 cm, 2007
For Immediate Release

'Hutong Memory'- A Solo Exhibition of Ye Jian Qing
Date: 26 November – 11 December 2009
Venue: iPRECIATION Hong Kong, Suite LG3, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central
Time: Mon to Fri: 10.00am – 7.00pm, Sat: 11.00am – 3.00pm
Sun & P.H- by appointment only

iPRECIATION is delighted to present ‘Hutong Memory’, a solo exhibition of Ye Jian Qing (b. 1972), featuring a brilliant selection of 10 exclusive Black & White oil paintings, highly sought for its rarity, from Ye’s earlier evocative ‘Hutong series’. This Solo exhibition will be an inaugural showcase of the artist’s most acclaimed creations in Hong Kong, dated from 2004 to 2007.

Born in Zhejiang Province, China in 1972, and currently residing in Beijing, Ye Jian Qing is a highly disciplined scholar artist who obtained his Master Degree and PhD from the prestigious Beijing Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA). Ye is currently teaching in the Fresco Department at CAFA.

Having achieved the rarity of retaining the aesthetic and philosophical values of Chinese cultural influences, and imbuing it with his own individualistic creativity, Ye has received accolades from critics and collectors alike; praise attributed to his distinctive, nostalgic style- effectively emanating the shadows of the past, whilst drawing light upon the future.

Ye’s earlier Hutong paintings aim to eternalise the picturesque image of an ancient social structure; a cultural ethos that is gradually disintegrating, victimised by the wiles of hasty industrialisation. Adamant in the usage of black and white, as promoted by traditional ink painting, Ye’s conceptual framework derives from the balance struck between the two colours, analogous to the notion of positive versus negative, and the Yin in contrast to the Yang. However, there is no opposition in Ye’s paintings, but equilibrium, as the various hues coagulate and merge in perfect, deliberated unison at strategic points of a canvas: the vision of assumed spontaneity, and decay of tradition, seen imperfectly, purposefully, through the artist’s eyes.

The abstinence from vibrant shades and embracement of minimalist colours allow viewers to focus on the subject matter. If persuaded by Ye to question the status and future of the Hutong, the realisation of the structure’s declining standing can further augment our appreciation and wonder for its beauty and history.

Ye Jian Qing’s ‘Hutong series’ is special, as it fully captures the artist’s sentimentality toward the subdued finery of conventional Chinese ink painting; A hushed, modest beauty that is quintessential of the artist’s timeless Hutongs.

For further information or artwork enquiry please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 852 2537 8869