Yang Shaobin

signed in Pinyin and dated 1993

Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquired by the present owner from the above

China, Hong Kong, Schoeni Art Gallery, Faces Behind the Bamboo Curtain: Works by Yue Minjun and Yang Shaobin, 1994, p. 31

This work is generally in good condition. Under ultraviolet light, several patches of restoration near the edges, especially the top corners can be seen. There are also several areas of restoration in the upper center of the painting, on the forehead of the standing right figure, and around the left hand of the baby. Under natural lights, they are not very noticeable. There are minor areas of paint loss around the left and lower edge. Some hairline cracks are noticeable in the sun and the red sky.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity issued by Schoeni Art Gallery, Hong Kong.

A Volatile Beginning
Yang Shaobin

Yang Shaobin is widely recognised for the grotesque and violent distortion of human form in his abstract paintings since the late 1990’s. However, it was his Cynical Realism works produced in the earlier period that marked the artist’s international rise alongside Fang Lijun and Yue Minjun as one of the first Chinese artists to exhibit overseas. The Cynical Realism  movement was coined by prominent critic Li Xianting to signify a major shift within the Chinese avant-garde art scene during the early 1990’s. By witnessing the failure of the previous two generations in rescuing China’s culture, the third generation of artists after the Cultural Revolution boldly rejected the glorification of humanism and heroism populated before. Instead, with the “expanding world of news and information about society in general and art”, these artists began to focus on “teasing the serious and displaying an irreverent attitude towards the boring, nonessential and foolish fragments of social lives”¹. As an early member of the movement, Yang’s works during this period would provide an invaluable insight into his experience of then Chinese society. They are also of immense art historical value as the artist has since drifted away to develop his own abstract visual language in mid-90’s. Both created in 1993, Untitled and Three Generations are two of the iconic pieces that exemplify the remarkable style in the Cynical Realist period of Yang Shaobin’s career.

The olive green colour and forced brushwork present in both lots on offer form the crucial framework of Yang’s painting works in this period. The olive green colour is a direct reference to the colour of the police uniform in China, serving as Yang’s weapon in satirising the police force, and ultimately, the Chinese government. On the other hand, the rough, almost crackling brushstrokes are influenced by the explicitly violent environments he had lived through since childhood, from witnessing children brutally hitting one another in fights, to being caught by police since he was without a temporary residency permit in Beijing. This frequent feeling of insecurity and fear afloat during his childhood in the coal mining region of Tangshan, and especially the early years of living in Yuanmingyuan, would be a major influence in his early artistic practice. “I chose the same theme when I began my first series of large portraits, violence would not leave me alone. Since, in 93’, I went through some emotional difficulties, I no longer saw people in the same way. I had the feeling that all human relations were fragile; one could not trust in their stability. It was cruel. Add to that the atmosphere at Yuanmingyuan… The future terrified me. A terror that buried me under its long black veil and prevented me from breathing. It was time for me to hunt down violence. It was really that experience that permitted me to come into my own.”²

It is not at all difficult to trace the motif of violence in Untitled (Lot 828), conspicuously expressed by a self-portrait of the artist himself writhing in pain. In the work, Yang is painted on the right side of the painting, standing against a deserted backdrop of an outdoor carnival arena. The extremely rare compositional elements of the boxer, the pirate figure, and arcade machines strategically emphasise the pervasive influence from the West, whether in sport, popular culture, or entertainment. At the same time, Yang’s plain outfit and the painful yet comical expression represent two of the most iconic facets of Cynical Realism, namely the return to the ordinary and self-mockery of the artist.

On the other hand, Three Generations (Lot 906) amplifies on the ordinariness of the Chinese soldiers by juxtaposing two Chinese soldiers, a man with two nude toddlers, and a baby in white T-shirt under the background of an orange sky. The white T-shirt and weighing scale are again products originated from the West. It is also important to note that soldier is one of the earliest themes in Yang Shaobin’s works, which he started painting even before being associated with Cynical Realism, and directly relates to Yang’s past experience in the city. “Early on, the threat of war forced people of our generation to help the state. Bomb shelters needed digging out and preparations made for an eventual Soviet attack. These are things that leave a mark, memories that grow along with you. To use history came naturally to me.”³

While both Untitled and Three Generations offer the perfect glimpse into Yang Shaobin’s personal tumultuous life, they also represent a significant phase in Yang’s career that defined his first critical success as a contemporary Chinese painter.

1 Faces Behind the Bamboo Curtain, Schoeni Art Gallery, 1994
2 “Dialogue with Li Xianting”, Yang Shaobin, Xin Dong Cheng Publishing House, Art Now Gallery, TAIDA Contemporary Art Museum, Alexander Ochs Galleries, 2004
3 Refer to 2