This was the first UK exhibition of work by Chinese artist Ding Yi. A selection of twenty paintings, dated from c.1990, it followed the development of the artist’s practice since he became preoccupied with the repetition of simple cross motifs, ‘x’ and ‘+’, to create vast aesthetic grids.

Yi’s practice involves painting directly onto a variety of surfaces such as cardboard, linen, canvas and tartan fabric. His early works tend to be hard-edged due to the use of masking tape and a ruler, whereas later pieces are more ‘personal’ involving hand-drawn gestures, meticulously criss-crossing the picture plane. Such physical repetition imbues Yi’s work with a mantra-like, meditative quality. Not surprisingly, the artist cites the Chinese philosophy of Taoism as a source of inspiration, as well as the neon quality of Shanghai at night. Beautiful and thoughtful, the works are quite unlike any other painting being made today.

This exhibition was kindly supported by Urban Fusion.