A Solo Exhibition by Leonard Yang | 20 Aug to 18 Sep 2022

In this series of paintings, figures round and thin, tall and small are simultaneously at play, in states of contemplation and amusement, or observation, rest, or movement. Devoid of characteristics that describe gender or identity, these figures perform gestures and pose that are seemingly mundane yet hint at expressions of frustration, anxiety, confusion, and fear. 

The perspective employed in these paintings – a “God’s eye” perspective typically used in rendering spatial elements in drawings and paintings from the air, now describe how all-encompassing control has crept its way into almost all stages of daily life and permeates all layers of the urban fabric. 

These paintings contain architectural elements from familiar sights such as apartment blocks, parks and playgrounds, malls and skyscrapers, flora and fauna. Upon closer viewing, the misplacement and awkwardness of these seemingly ordinary objects, elements, places, figures, and gestures hint at a surreal and dystopian world, one where things that happen under the surface, are not as vibrant and colorful as they might seem.