Digital Fantasties

Last year, shortly after its grand opening, MGM COTAI held its inaugural Art Symposium, a gathering of some of the leading figures and talents in the art world from around the region, not only to introduce the stunning artworks on display at the new property, but also to discuss ideas relating to the theme of the symposium, “Redefining Public Art”, furthering its mission of making art more accessible to the public.

 

Given the great success of the first edition, this year’s symposium, to be held on March 24, is sure to be yet another exciting event, offering fascinating insights into the world of contemporary art.  The theme for this year’s symposium is “Transforming Art with Technology”, and one of the guest speakers will be renowned Chinese digital artist, Yang Yongliang. 

 

 

Born in 1980 in Shanghai, Yang Yongliang graduated from China Academy of Art in 2003, majored in visual communication. He started his experiments with contemporary art in 2005, and his practice involved varied media including photography, painting, video and installation. His work has been exhibited at Moscow Biennale, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art and National Gallery of Victoria among others and is collected by public institutes such as the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

 

“To showcase my works in the immersive environment of MGM’s dynamic theater is my long-cherished wish,” says the artist ahead of his visit to Macau. “The international and diverse speakers and audience is also why I am looking forward to participating in the MGM Art Symposium,” he adds.

 

On the theme of the symposium, Yang comments: “With the rapid development of digital media in recent years, the viewing experience of art has changed. The public’s enthusiasm for digital art is increasing, and people have begun to develop a keen interest in multimedia art works with immersive experiences.”

 

To be featured in the art symposium, Yang’s work Nine Dragons presents an immersive journey with a flight of Chinese dragons. Led by a whirling pearl, the splendid landscape can be experienced by the audience through a dragon’s point of view.

 

Nine Dragons is an immersive remake of a Chinese mythology on East Asian dragons; the work was initially inspired by a Southern Song painting entitled Nine Dragons currently in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The painting marks one of the most classical dragon motifs in Asian art history.  Yang Yongliang’s art practices have always been influenced by master pieces, and as such, he continuously recreates traditional paintings and landscapes with a contemporary touch. While his previous works feature mostly landscapes on two-dimensional platforms, Yang finds Virtual Reality a perfect ground for pieces that involve strong characters and movement.

 

Nonetheless, with the rapidly changing technology driving digital art, Yang acknowledges there are challenges for artists in this field.

“It is difficult to achieve a balance between technological innovation and conceptual expression. Because the digital media iteration is very fast, it is necessary to have the characteristics of the new media art to bring a new experience, but also a depth of thinking and social significance.”

 

Commenting on the extensive collections of contemporary Chinese art at MGM COTAI, the artist notes: “In an art environment dominated by Europe and the United States, I appreciate MGM’s continued attention to Chinese artists, which provides a soil for their growth. In my opinion, contemporary Chinese art is growing and transforming from a purely ideological expression to a more personal expression. It provides a different cultural perspective for the world art scene and adds diversity.”