Born: 1984
Hometown: Shenyang, China
Based in: China
Yang Dong Xue (b. 1984, Shenyang, China) works with sculptural and sound installation and watercolor drawings, focusing on the artist’s perpetual struggle to express oneself honestly – and accurately - to the audience, and inevitably falling short. Yang’s practice is marked by a deep ambivalence toward art production and his role as a player in the contemporary art scene. He sees himself as a “dedicated” and “serious” artist who is painfully aware of the futility of such dedication and seriousness.
He aims to illustrate the prelude to art production, rather than the result or objects of such production. His focus is on the thought process in “making stuff”, while knowing that such artist-produced iterations will never fully meet the artist’s expectations. Shifting the focus away from the outcome, Yang aims at demonstrating his what transpires prior to giving birth to the object. The conscious and subconscious act of conceiving the artwork is the focal point for Yang.
1 Collection