Decorative minimalist pattern geometric abstract painting, 2007, 200x450 cm

Decorative minimalist pattern geometric abstract painting - detail, 2007, 200x450 cm

Decorative minimalist pattern geometric abstract painting, 2007, 200x135 cm

Decorative minimalist pattern geometric abstract painting detail, 2007, 200x135 cm

Ding Yi Solo Exhibition: On view at Karsten Greve Gallery from October 16 to December 8. Visiting a Chinese artist's exhibition again, I note that Chinese artists have recently taken center stage on the international scene; they appear almost every time I tour Paris galleries. In today's globalized world, past peripheries have formed new cores, especially in South America, India, and China. This time, I saw a non-figurative exhibition by a Chinese artist (since much current Chinese art is figurative, often carrying strong ideological traits under post-Maoist or communist new myths). Perhaps this type of work rarely appears in the international system, or else it is drowned out by the dominant figurative painting storm (a rare exception was Qiu Shihua's mesmerizing exhibition in Basel, Switzerland, a few years ago). Of course, such purer art requires time and cultural nurturing. Now is the moment for Chinese artists to step beyond excessive ideology and post-Pop political imagery. Under China's grand and profound indigenous cultural tradition, new Chinese art will walk its broad path with greater confidence, not only catching the world's eye but also injecting extraordinary new blood into global contemporary art. I sincerely look forward to this.

Born in Shanghai in 1962, Ding Yi stands out in the storm of Chinese figurative painting with his pattern-like paintings resembling printed fabric. His unique style is remarkably outstanding. Since the late 1980s, he has repeatedly used a simple system of "+" and "x" symbols to construct endless graphic forms. These are condensed into a minimalist state, excluding all emotion, exploring extraordinary possibilities, and deconstructing symbolic meaning and narrative in Chinese painting.

This solo exhibition in Paris features four large oil paintings and numerous works on paper. These optimistic, minimalist pattern geometric abstract paintings are constructed through the proliferation of these small symbols. They mix acrylic, oil paint, charcoal, and ballpoint pen, ranging from monochrome to strongly contrasting tones, creating subtle depth and rhythm. Since the late 1990s, the artist has strengthened this grid structure, systematically constructing it using ready-made grid-pattern canvases. These dense geometric shapes result from the artist's mechanical reproducibility, juxtaposed stroke by stroke under sensitive manual handling. This act can be seen as a form of handwritten juxtaposition, unconsciously influenced by millennia of Chinese calligraphic practice. Optimistic patterns develop through vertical, parallel, and crossing forms. Within what seems geometric (though not strictly so), poetic writing unfolds, exerting pictorial tension and rhythm among diverse forms, structural elements, and minimalist natural forms. Overall, this systematic construction resembles the weaving of time and space.