Yanqun Wu
Craquelure in Silver Light 銀鱗豐饒
2024
Oil on Canvas with mixed collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
70 cm x 100 cm
In this exuberant still life, a bountiful cascade of freshly caught fish surges forward, their bodies alive with iridescent color and glistening texture. Yanqun employs masterful hyper-realistic painting techniques to render each scale, eye, and fin with luminous precision, while deliberately engineering a dramatic network of fine white cracks across the surfaces. This intentional craquelure—achieved through layered incompatible media and controlled shrinkage—creates the illusion of aged, lifting “skin,” transforming the fish into both objects of abundance and fragile, time-worn artifacts.
Silvery and metallic flakes are embedded into the paint surface, catching light with genuine metallic shimmer and adding physical relief. On the left, fragments of Japanese ukiyo-e wave patterns and printed fish are collaged and partially overpainted, blending traditional East Asian printmaking references with contemporary mixed-media experimentation.
The bold cadmium yellow and deep black color blocks provide a stark, graphic stage for the organic pile, heightening the sense of joyful overflow and dynamic movement. Through virtuoso command of painting, collage, and material alchemy, the work celebrates themes of abundance, ephemerality, and the intersection of cultural memory with present vitality.
Yanqun Wu
Palimpsest of Triumph
2026
Oil on Canvas with mixed media collage, golden flake accents, intentional craquelure
60 cm x 60 cm
This is a richly textured, semi-abstract work that fuses figurative storytelling with urban fragmentation. At its glowing core, a mounted archer—clad in ornate traditional attire, bow in hand—rides a sturdy horse through a narrow, illuminated passage. The central yellow panel, deliberately cracked like an ancient fresco, isolates the rider in a dramatic spotlight, while the surrounding composition dissolves into geometric blocks suggesting weathered buildings, brickwork, a solitary streetlamp, and faint silhouetted figures on the right. A small checkerboard motif anchors the lower left, and vertical drips of deep purple and black cascade from the base, evoking rain or melting time.
Yanqun employs a bold, limited palette of luminous golds, brooding indigos, and inky blacks, heightened by splatter, scumbling, and layered impasto. These techniques create physical depth and visual tension: the smooth, almost luminous horse contrasts with the rough, decaying surfaces around it, suggesting erosion and memory. Compositionally, strong verticals and the central “window” pull the eye inward, while the horse’s forward momentum injects kinetic energy into an otherwise static architectural grid.
Thematically, the work explores the collision of history and modernity. The ancient warrior navigating a contemporary cityscape reads as a metaphor for cultural memory persisting amid urban decay, or perhaps the solitary journey through collective amnesia. Influences echo both Chinese ink-painting traditions (calligraphic energy, atmospheric space) and Western neo-expressionism (raw texture, drips reminiscent of Basquiat or Kiefer). Technically accomplished and emotionally resonant, the painting demonstrates confident command of color harmony and mixed-media effects within oil.
Yanqun Wu
The Fish Can’t Say - Collection ONE and TWO
2025
Oil on Canvas with mixed collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
40 cm x 40 cm
A vertical procession of fish hangs in solemn silence, their bodies rendered with hyper-realistic precision and shimmering metallic luster. Through masterful glazing and textured brushwork, Yanqun captures the glassy eyes, translucent fins, and subtle iridescence of fresh catch. Yet the surfaces are deliberately fractured by an intricate network of fine white cracks — a controlled craquelure effect achieved by layering incompatible media that shrink and fissure as they dry.
Silvery and metallic flakes are embedded into the paint, creating genuine light-reflective sparkle and physical texture that contrasts with the distressed, aged appearance of the cracked “skin.” On the left, fragments of traditional Japanese ukiyo-e wave patterns, stripes, and checkerboard motifs are collaged and seamlessly integrated, blending graphic Eastern print traditions with contemporary mixed-media experimentation.
Set against a dramatic backdrop of deep black, earthy brown, and luminous yellow, the tightly stacked composition generates rhythmic tension and quiet urgency. The title The Fish Can’t Say invites reflection on voicelessness, ephemerality, and the fragile boundary between abundance and decay.
Through virtuoso command of painting, collage, and material alchemy, this work transforms a simple still life into a meditation on beauty, silence, and the passage of time.
Yanqun Wu
The Golden Gaze of Sustenance
2024
Oil on card with mixed media collage, golden and metallic flakes, and intentional craquelure
15 cm x 15 cm
Yanqun Wu
The Golden Call of Sustenance
2024
Oil on card with mixed media collage, golden and metallic flakes, and intentional craquelure
15 cm x 15 cm
In this intimate diptych, two golden fish engage in silent dialogue — one extending a “call,” the other offering a steady “gaze.” Symbolically, they evoke themes of abundance, nourishment, and the fragile boundary between sustenance and ephemerality, transforming a simple motif of fish into a meditation on life’s precious yet transient gifts.
Technically, the works demonstrate virtuoso mixed-media skill. Each fish is rendered with expressive impasto and palette-knife strokes over rich orange, red, and brown underpainting. Golden leaf fragments and metallic flakes are physically embedded into the surface, selectively distressed, and partially overpainted to create authentic metallic shimmer and tactile three-dimensional relief. A delicate, web-like craquelure is intentionally induced through layered incompatible media that shrink and fissure during drying, lending the golden “skin” an ancient, cracked beauty while revealing flashes of underlying color.
The backgrounds heighten the dialogue: dramatic deep blacks and bold yellow accents on the right contrast with luminous golden yellows, soft lavenders, and bubble-like highlights on the left, achieved through dry-brush, scumbling, and varied textural applications.
Through this masterful fusion of hyper-realistic painting, real gold-leaf alchemy, and controlled craquelure, the artist invites viewers to contemplate both the opulence and vulnerability of sustenance in our lives.
Yanqun Wu
Mirror of the Soul - Collection I and II
2025
Oil on Canvas with mixed media collage, golden flake accents, intentional craquelure
40 cm x 40 cm
These two oil paintings showcase Yanqun’s signature blend of romantic lyricism and explosive color. Western technique are infused with Chinese traditional spirit, favoring exaggerated, flaring hues and thick impasto to convey inner emotion. Both works employ heavy, almost mosaic-like brushwork that builds tactile depth, making feathers and leaves appear to shimmer and pulse.
Yanqun’s technique is masterful: short, energetic strokes create movement, while the warm-cool color contrasts heighten vitality. The parrots—symbols of freedom and tropical exuberance—appear both wild and slightly displaced amid subtle architectural fragments, evoking a gentle tension between nature and modernity. This aligns with Wu’s broader practice in floral and avian themes, where serenity meets emotional intensity.
Compositionally balanced and technically assured, the paintings reward close viewing: the impasto rewards light play, the color harmony feels joyful yet refined. Minor density in the backgrounds slightly crowds the birds, yet this only amplifies their luminous presence. Overall, these are accomplished, emotionally resonant works that demonstrate Yanqun’s ability to transform a familiar subject into something fresh, poetic, and contemporary.
This painting centers on a sulfur-crested cockatoo rendered in delicate watercolor washes of white, yellow, and soft brown. The bird, with its vivid yellow crest, perches pensively on an irregular gray ink form resembling rock or cloud. Behind it rises a vertical black panel alive with shimmering gold leaf that evokes an ancient mirror. To the right appears a strip of blue window blinds, while a crisp black-and-white checkerboard floor grounds the composition. Traditional red artist seals punctuate the off-white field.
The work masterfully fuses classical Chinese techniques—gold leaf, ink, and seals—with surreal modern collage, juxtaposing the organic vitality of the bird and nature against rigid geometric and linear artifice. This creates a quiet tension, evoking themes of freedom versus confinement or tradition meeting modernity. The small scale heightens its intimate, poetic power. Technically accomplished and conceptually layered, the piece demonstrates exceptional material sensitivity and compositional balance, marking it as refined contemporary art of high quality.
This mixed-media painting centers on a vibrant scarlet macaw rendered in luminous watercolor with striking reds, oranges, yellows, and electric blues. The parrot, with its vivid plumage and long crimson tail, perches dynamically on an irregular gray ink-wash form resembling rock or cloud, accented with subtle gold leaf. Behind it rises a vertical black panel alive with shimmering gold leaf that evokes ancient mirror. To the right appears a strip of red window blinds, while bold vertical stripes in black, beige, and gray ground the composition like a modern rug. Traditional red artist seals punctuate the off-white field.
The work masterfully fuses classical Chinese techniques—gold leaf, ink, and seals—with surreal modern collage, juxtaposing the organic vitality of the exotic bird against rigid geometric and linear artifice. This creates a quiet tension, evoking themes of nature versus confinement or tradition meeting modernity. The small scale heightens its intimate, poetic power. Technically accomplished and conceptually layered, the piece demonstrates exceptional material sensitivity and compositional balance, marking it as refined contemporary art of high quality.
Yanqun Wu
Obsessed with the Mirror - Collection I and II
2024
Colour ink on paper with mixed media collage, golden flake accents
30 cm x 30 cm
Yanqun Wu
The Fourfold Surplus 四重有餘
2025
Oil on canvas with mixed media collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
40 cm x 40 cm
In The Fourfold Surplus, Yanqun presents four fish suspended in a richly textured, geometrically divided space. One fish hovers alone against a vibrant yellow vertical band, while three others cluster in the centre-right, their silver bodies gleaming with life-like presence. The composition draws on the Chinese cultural symbolism of yu (fish/surplus), evoking abundance, prosperity, and the quiet reflection of the soul — themes central to the artist’s practice.
What distinguishes this intimate square work is Yanqun’s masterful hybrid technique, which fuses Western oil painting traditions with Eastern aesthetic sensibilities. The fish are built through heavy impasto, applied with palette knives to create pronounced three-dimensional relief. Thick ridges of paint and subtle drips give the bodies a sculptural, almost tactile quality, while translucent glazes over silver-white layers produce a luminous, metallic sheen that shifts with the light.
A signature element is the deliberate craquelure — fine, web-like cracks engineered across the fish surfaces through controlled drying and specialised mediums. This controlled fracturing evokes the beauty of aged porcelain or traditional lacquerware, layering temporal depth and a sense of cultural memory onto the forms. It transforms the fish from mere still-life subjects into fragile yet resilient mirrors of existence.
The background enhances the technical dialogue: bold colour blocks of saturated yellow against deep black and muted purple are enriched with collage-like elements and patterned textures (including a dotted brocade motif and checkered corner). These flat, graphic planes contrast sharply with the organic, gestural modelling of the fish, creating dynamic spatial tension within the compact 40 × 40 cm format.
Through this refined synthesis of impasto, engineered cracking, glazing, and mixed-media layering, Yanqun achieves a contemplative lyricism. The small scale invites close viewing, rewarding the eye with surface richness and inviting reflection on prosperity, impermanence, and the enduring beauty of cultural inheritance.
Yanqun Wu
Headlines and Harvest 頭條與豐收
2026
Oil on canvas with mixed media collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
60 cm X 80 cm
Yanqun’s Headlines and Harvest 頭條與豐收 is a dynamic oil still life depicting a generous pile of silvery mackerel cascading across crumpled newspaper. The fish, rendered with startling realism, display glistening blue-black backs, metallic scales, bright yellow fins, and glassy eyes—fresh from the sea. Bold red Chinese calligraphy and headline fragments peek through the creased paper beneath, grounding the scene in everyday market ephemera.
Yanqun’s technique masterfully fuses hyper-realism and expressive abstraction. Thick impasto layers on the fish create palpable texture and three-dimensionality, making scales catch light like wet skin. In sharp contrast, the surrounding surface dissolves into loose, gestural strokes of vibrant purple, fiery orange, and deep black, generating energetic movement and emotional depth. This hybrid approach merges Western oil traditions with the spirit of Chinese ink painting.
The motif is richly layered. “Headlines” evoke modern media and daily newsprint, while “Harvest” celebrates the sea’s bounty. Fish (魚 yú) carry the classic Chinese pun for surplus and prosperity—“年年有餘” (abundance every year). By placing the catch atop headlines, Yanqun poetically unites transient news with timeless cultural symbols of plenty, elevating the mundane market haul into a meditation on vitality, consumerism, and enduring fortune. The painting pulses with immediate joy and quiet cultural resonance.
Yanqun Wu
No net ensnares my soul 塵網不繫，吾魂翱翔
2024
Oil on canvas with mixed media collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
120 cm x 120 cm
In No Net Ensnare My Soul, Yanqun presents a powerful metaphor of freedom and resilience. A massive green fishing net drapes heavily across the composition, its folds partially enclosing a school of fish swimming through luminous yellow-green waters, while others glide freely beyond its reach.
Yanqun’s technique is richly expressive. He builds the net with heavy impasto, using palette knives to create thick, sculptural ridges and textured layers that evoke weathered rope and woven mesh. Fine cracks and built-up surfaces add tactile depth and a sense of age. The fish are rendered with luminous silver-white scales marked by deliberate craquelure, giving them a fragile, porcelain-like quality that contrasts with the vibrant, fluid background.
Through bold colour blocking, layered glazing, and mixed-media textural contrasts, Yanqun masterfully balances entrapment and liberation. This intimate work deepens the Mirror of the Soul series, inviting reflection on the enduring spirit that no net can fully ensnare.
Yanqun Wu
Happy Together
2024
Oil on canvas with mixed media collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
60 cm x 60 cm
A generous cluster of fresh fish lies piled on a dark, earthy surface, their silvery-brown bodies overlapping with lifelike detail and subtle orange fins. Rich gold leaf fragments are pressed and brushed across the scales, catching light with luminous, almost metallic brilliance that contrasts dramatically against the deep brown and muted background.
Yanqun elevates a traditional still-life motif into a contemporary celebration of prosperity and plenitude, drawing on the classic Chinese pun where “fish” (魚) symbolizes “surplus” (餘) and good fortune. The thick impasto, expressive brushwork, and luxurious gold accents transform the ordinary into something poetic and auspicious, blending realism with tactile materiality. Technically accomplished and symbolically rich, the painting demonstrates masterful control of light, texture, and cultural resonance. Compact yet powerful, it stands as a refined and highly accomplished work that highlights Yanqun’s artistic range and emotional depth.
Yanqun Wu
No net ensnares my soul 塵網不繫，吾魂翱翔
2026
Oil on canvas with mixed media collage, silver flake accents, and intentional craquelure
60 cm x 80 cm
This oil painting presents a captivating still life of small fish swimming in shallow, translucent water. A school of silvery fish with subtle orange and greenish accents glides through the center, their forms rendered with realistic detail and shimmering reflections. Delicate fishing nets in cool teal and blue tones drape from above, partially framing the scene against a luminous lime-green and soft gray background.
Yanqun demonstrates remarkable technical versatility here, moving away from his signature Jiangnan landscapes into a more intimate, observational mode. The painting excels in its masterful handling of light and transparency: subtle glazes and reflective highlights capture the wet, fluid quality of water, while textured brushwork on the nets adds tactile contrast. The composition feels both serene and dynamic, evoking themes of abundance, movement, and the quiet beauty of everyday aquatic life. With sophisticated color harmony, luminous atmosphere, and confident execution, this work showcases Yanqun’s expressive range and high artistic quality. It is a refined, visually engaging piece that stands strongly within his oeuvre.
Youjiu LIU 劉佑局
Vibrant Surge 絢爛湧動
Acrylic on Canvas
70cm X 70cm
2025
This acrylic painting by Youju LIU is an exuberant explosion of color and movement. A massive, fluid central form dominates the lower two-thirds, swirling in electric blues, vibrant greens, and luminous yellows with rich, marbled patterns created through poured and manipulated acrylic. This dynamic, almost liquid mass surges upward from a bold, textured red ground, evoking turbulent water, mountains, or pure elemental energy. Above it, stylized trees heavy with red berries and large, radiant red flowers with golden centers burst against a dark, textured backdrop, their branches and blossoms rendered with energetic brushwork and splatters.
Youju masterfully fuses representational elements of nature with bold abstract expressionism. The painting captures the raw vitality and chaotic beauty of the natural world — a celebration of life force, renewal, and the interconnected energy of flora and landscape. The high-contrast palette and fluid acrylic technique create a powerful sense of rhythm and movement, while the thick, tactile surface adds physical immediacy. Technically accomplished and visually commanding, this work demonstrates exceptional command of acrylic’s fluid properties and expressive potential. Its vibrant energy, compositional balance, and emotional intensity mark it as a highly accomplished, joyful piece of contemporary Chinese acrylic painting.
