“Colors are the deeds of light. Colors are light’s suffering and joy” ­– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In Chinese culture, there is a strong relationship between color and desire. (se) is a word with multiple meanings. It means “color” and at the same time means “lust”. In Buddhism, (se jie) which literally translates into “color world”, is used to describe the material world. With these concepts in mind, Chinese artist Yuanyuan Yang constructs a world wherein individuals’ desires are illuminated as rainbows emitted and received by the people and objects around them. These desires bring forth people’s suffering and joy. As Yang’s characters are enticed by the material world, their inner light or soul, refracts as discharging rainbows, leaving the people bound in complacency.

Yuanyuan Yang is from Beijing, China. She has her BFA in painting from Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and her MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art. Her experience living in Beijing and New York has played a vital role in her visual unification of eastern and western philosophies and aesthetics. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including at Jack the Pelican Presents (NYC), Windham Fine Arts (Windham, NY), Ethan Cohen Fine Arts (Switzerland), The Masur Museum of Art (Monroe, LA), and Chongqing University Art Museum (China). This is Yang’s first solo show in New York City.

“Refracted Beings,” paintings by Yuanyuan Yang runs October 24 through November 21, 2012, at Fuse Gallery, 93 2nd Ave (between 5th & 6th Sts, 2nd Ave stop on the F), NYC, NY. The opening reception, on Wednesday October 24, from 7 to 10 pm, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Fuse Gallery at 212.777.7988 or [email protected]