YUAN Huinan: A Light of the Dark: Curated by WANG Yaoli

BONIAN SPACE is pleased to announce the solo exhibition A Light of the Dark by artist YUAN Huinan, from January 18 to March 2, 2025. Curated by Wang Yaoli, the exhibition will feature over ten latest oil paintings by the artist. The works center on plants and still lifes, where the artist constructs surreal images that seem to freeze time, subtly expressing the profound emotional impact that emerges from confronting the ultimate destiny of life. Philosophical reflection and symbolic language helped Yuan use painting to depict the simultaneous existence of freedom and struggle in the absolute moment.

At the beginning of his career, Yuan Huinan's work conveys the depth and expansiveness of time through simple and clear composition, allowing the viewer to feel the long and far-reaching passage of time within the space. With elements drawn from nature, such as flowers, moths, weather, and landscapes, the surreal imagery renders his works both figurative and mysteriously elusive. The use of soft colors evokes a tranquil yet slightly desolate atmosphere, allowing his works to carry the weight of the essence of life.

Plants are an important symbolic element throughout his work. The recurring appearance of plants not only serves as a projection of his inner emotions but also as a spiritual anchor witnessing his growth and transformation. Notably, in Yuan's recent works, plants no longer appear as singular, central symbols. He seems consciously downplaying the "divine" of nature plants once held in his paintings, where his flowers were once positioned as if crucified in the center of the canvas like a Christ figure. Now, Yuan explores how to present plants more diversely in his works. For example, in The River of Eternal Love, while the blood-dripping rose remains positioned at the top of the canvas, the thorny branches form a decorative "frame" around it. This decorative element undeniably adds a touch of the mundane to his painting. Elements of everyday life, such as cake, coffee, and wine, have also started appearing in his works, seemingly completing a form of tragic self-reconciliation. Yuan Huinan continues his pursuit of life's meaning through painting, but rather than being trapped in nihilism, he confronts the more complex and real aspects of human nature through his perception of reality.

In The Red Book, Carl Gustav Jung explores the interplay between light and darkness through a dialogue with his inner unconscious. In Jung's psychological framework, "light" typically symbolizes consciousness and reason, clear self-awareness, and the parts of human nature that can be understood and controlled. In contrast, "darkness" represents the unconscious, the shadow, the unaccepted or suppressed parts of the psyche—the neglected or repressed unknown worlds within. If an underlying sense of pain can often be found in Yuan's paintings, it may be a reflection of the "darkness" Jung describes. Yuan regards The Red Book as one of the pivotal texts in his life. Most importantly, Jung emphasizes that darkness is an essential part of personal growth and self-transformation. It is a latent life force, and only by facing the darkness can one reach true self-realization. The exhibition A Light of the Dark (the Chinese literal translation is Falling Star) symbolizes the fleeting nature of life and time through the flashing flames of a falling star, suggesting that while life may seem short and transient, we will strive to shine brilliantly before we reach the end.