Yuan Yuan is not the man we imagined when we first laid eyes upon his work. His large-scale paintings are impressive vistas that focus squarely on abandoned, dilapidated spaces with a strong sense of patina and history, with layers and details that are often eerie by nature. Cold-lit stairwells, broken windowpanes and empty rooms are a common theme in his first-ever Hong Kong solo exhibition, and the smiling, gentle-natured man standing in front of us at the Edouard Malingue Gallery is not the withdrawn, melancholic artist we had inferred from his works.

And indeed, Yuan Yuan does not believe that his pieces are sad by nature,  although he admits being drawn to the sense of nostalgia inherent in buildings and spaces that clearly have a human history. Rather, the artist is known for saying that he finds an odd sense of comfort and security in abandoned places – where others see loneliness, he sees richness and power. “The reason why I say there is a sense of security in abandoned houses is because they are filled with traces of human activity,” he explains. “You can sense the warmth, and it does not feel unfamiliar.”

Fragments, one of his more recent works (pictured above), sees Yuan Yuan draw beauty from destruction. A 12-paned window reveals peeling paintwork, frosted and broken windows and a patchwork approach to mending them; it’s a scene that struck the artist when he was in Guizhou province, and inspired him to create a painting that is reminiscent of patchwork quilts and stained glass windows.

Hong Kongers may feel a connection to some of Yuan Yuan’s works, as indeed several paintings feature our iconic tiled stairwells and rusty shutters. A city filled with memory and dereliction as much as it is with slick modernity has been a natural choice of inspiration for the artist. “As so many people have left behind their traces here, I think my works will resonate even more with citizens here,” he says.

Watch our video above to see what the artist says of his own philosophy and work.

Yuan Yuan
Date: September 20 – November 10, 2012
Venue: Edouard Malingue Gallery, 1/F, 8 Queen’s Road Central; +852 2810-0317
Open: Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-7pm

Videography by Tyrone Wu