Leo Gallery | Shanghai
Martin Wehmer: Garden of the Hesperides x Yan Bo: Beyond Interpretation
Martin Wehmer: Garden of the Hesperides
Leo Gallery is delighted to present the solo exhibition Garden of the Hesperides by Martin Wehmer, on view from September 13 to October 27, 2024. In Greek mythology, the Garden of the Hesperides is a mystical sanctuary where the golden apple tree flourish, emblematic of abundance, allure, and timeless beauty. Using the exuberant blossoms and branches of Huahua as a point of departure, Wehmer sets the stage for a dynamic interplay of substance, color, and form.
“Lange stand ich am Ufer und suchte mit meiner Seele das Land der Griechen.”
(“For a long time, I stood by the shore, my soul in search of the Greeks’ land.”)
As a German artist who has made China his home for nearly two decades, Wehmer seamlessly weaves his perceptions of Chinese life into his canvases. His cross-cultural subjects delve into the shifting cultural meanings of everyday objects across different contexts. Concepts and symbols, once rooted in a singular cultural narrative, are reimagined through the lens of cultural interplay, yielding fresh insights. Wehmer’s work not only serves as a personal dialogue with life but also as a meditation on cultural identity and transformation, poised between his native land and his adopted home.
Wehmer's signature impasto technique infuses his work with palpable materiality and vibrant energy. The paint, vigorously applied, creates a textured surface that seems to pulse and breathe, defying the stillness of the canvas. His sculptural brushwork forges a tactile and visual intersection, drawing viewers into an immersive sensory experience. Through this lush formal language, Wehmer magnifies, deconstructs, and reconfigures figures and objects, crafting an abstract existence that both narrates and transcends reality.
From his series on "Greek Gods" and "Everyday Objects" to his abstract works, this exhibition brings together a diverse range of Wehmer’s creative endeavors from the past decade. In Garden of the Hesperides, Wehmer gracefully invites viewers to step into a hidden realm of rare flora, where one can wander, pause, observe, and discover a golden apple uniquely their own.
Yan Bo: Beyond Interpretation
Leo Gallery is pleased to present Yan Bo's solo exhibition Beyond Interpretation from 13 September to 27 October 2024, bringing together the artist's works from the past three years.
"Beyond Interpretation" refers to forms, things, or realms that remain untitled and are difficult to interpret through language. All the works featured in this exhibition are named Untitled, representing Yan Bo’s practice of severing the interference of language with painting. When a work is given a fixed and singular title, it inherently establishes a point of reference, which can often disrupt the instinctive response of the viewer. Only when language falls short does vision become the sole pathway to perceiving the work. The "untitled" pieces are purely connected with the act of viewing, offering a purified visual language.
These "untitled" works reflect the artist's deliberate choice to resist interpretation and return to the essence of form while also pointing to an open creative methodology. In his creative process, Yan Bo persistently pursues "Defamiliarization" in logic. By constructing a context of logical estrangement and establishing unique technical support, his works, through irregular shapes and complex images, exhibit an ever-changing sense of uncertainty. This approach requires the artist to remain constantly vigilant, keenly aware of the potential stagnation in his creative thinking, and continuously break away from existing creative systems. After reaching a pinnacle of complexity, he returns towards simplicity.
In this exhibition, the visual world that Yan Bo presents is an undefined one, refusing to be interpreted by words. The act of "untitled" points towards the freedom that constitutes the worldview of Yan Bo’s artistic universe. Through the cyclical process of breaking and rebuilding, Yan Bo continuously constructs new artistic worlds for himself, sustaining the vitality and uniqueness of his creation.
