Yun-Fei Ji

Yun-Fei Ji: Water Work brings together ten years’ worth of narrative paintings that explore the human displacement caused by water-related disasters. Born in China in 1963 and educated there, Ji developed his art in New York City, where he has lived since 1990. Equal parts historian, investigative journalist and social critic, Ji uses traditional Chinese ink and rice paper scrolls to create paintings that focus on ordinary people in extreme situations. After regular trips to China and extensive first-hand research, Ji created a series of paintings recounting the events surrounding the construction of the Three Gorges Dam which spans the Yangtze River; more recently, he focused attention on the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. His scroll paintings recount stories of loss and grief, responsibility and sacrifice, exploring the myths that arise from shared--and often tragic--experience.

From a distance, Yun-Fei Ji's traditional brush paintings hark back to the atmospheric landscapes of the Sung Dynasty painters. Step closer though, and Ji's mists are revealed to be toxic clouds, and his craggy mountains are shown to be piles of overflowing garbage and abandoned vehicles. His misty imagery also includes stylized abstractions that may or may not refer to intestines, explosions or bubbling slime. Using traditional materials (inks, Chinese brushes and handmade mulberry paper) Ji employs age-old methods to illuminate historic and contemporary concerns. This full-color monograph/catalogue includes a new thematic group of six large-scale works made especially for the exhibition. Multi-page gatefolds of these paintings are included.