Under the Sky

2023 - 2024

In the genesis of this artistic endeavor, Wang Yuyang painted an expansive blue sky on canvas, a hue that captures the very essence of the heavens. Nestled beneath this azure canopy is a depiction of a forest, its dense undergrowth and jungle atmosphere enveloping the entire composition. Within the canvas’ negative spaces, he introduced bio-liquids—synthetic brews crafted in partnership with biologists—that, once fermented, release the earthy scent of forest microbiota, enveloping the viewer in an olfactory woodland and attuning them to the respiration of nature itself. Echoing Qian Zhongshu’s insight, “In our daily encounters, the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste often intermingle, blurring the lines between the realms of the visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory. Colors may carry warmth, sounds may possess form, temperatures may bear weight, and scents may embody substance.” Wang Yuyang’s ambition is to craft a synesthetic experience where the visual realm of the blue sky converges with the olfactory landscape of the forest. Nature imprints its footprints across various entities, and this artwork transcends the visual arts, awakening the senses and evoking the illusion of standing within a forest, even in the absence of direct visual or tactile contact with the trees. This piece extends the tradition of painting, shattering the two-dimensional confines and enriching the viewer’s perception, from the visual to the olfactory spectrum.

Forest1
Type: Painting
Materials: Oil on canvas, Microorganism
Dimensions: 100 x 75 cm