Artists

Ding Yi

Press release

Galerie Karsten Greve is pleased to announce Constellations, the 9th solo exhibition by the Chinese artist Ding Yi with the gallery. Opening upon the occasion of Art Cologne 2024, the exhibition presents 20 new works by Ding Yi. In line with his historical oeuvre, the works manifest the artist’s tenacity and keen observation, as well as their aesthetic autonomy.

In his new works, Ding Yi introduces the star as a new element to his repertoire. The former constellations of crosses emerge as ‘cross-stellations’, referencing both the sky-scraping architecture of modern metropoles, as well as a cosmic order and artistic message. Recalling the maps of stars or astronomic views – constellations – the works form a continuation of Ding Yi’s formal and material investigations.

In the early years, Ding Yi’s work has alluded to science and modern technology. Since the 1990s, the artist has been translating the experience of living in modern mega cities such as Shanghai or Beijing into his painting. The frenzy and pace of these cities, particularly of Shanghai where the artist lives, become perceivable through the accumulation and configuration of signs and symbols. Based on a principle of repetition, Ding Yi employs the x or +, and now the *, as a means of expression and symbol of communication.