Jean Chong recommends Past Meets Present: Shan Shui Environmental Art
Art twists traditional Chinese paintings into statements on environmental devastation by overbuilding, car dependency –in China.
Commissioned by the China Environmental Protection Foundation, Yong Liang Yang utilizes the traditional art style Shan Shui in ads to promote awareness of major environmental problems. The paintings and the associated video highlight the effects of rapid industrialization and urbanization within a Chinese context, providing insight into modern cultural perceptions of nature, environmental protection, and sustainability
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In the piece titled “Automotive Pollution”, the spectre of congestion slowly creeps into the painting. As with the previous piece, the tranquility of the landscape from a distance is gradually replaced with chaos of urban life as one begins to notice the details of the painting.
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