Ding Yi
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Works
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2022-162022Acrylic and woodcuts on basswood141 3⁄4 x 189 in. (360 x 480 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2020-82020Mixed media on basswood47 1⁄4 x 47 1⁄4 in. (120 x 120 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2018-162018Mixed media on basswood47 1⁄4 x 47 1⁄4 in. (120 x 120 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2016-B102016Chalk and charcoal on Japanese yuu grid paper196 7⁄8 x 466 1⁄2 in. (500 x 1185 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2015-12015Acrylic and woodcuts on basswood189 x 94 1⁄2 in. (480 x 240 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2011-42011Acrylic on canvas118 1⁄8 x 118 1⁄8 in. (300 x 300 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 2009-42009Acrylic on tartan55 1⁄8 x 63 in. (140 x 160 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 1997-331997Acrylic on tartan55 1⁄8 x 63 in. (140 x 160 cm)
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Ding YiAppearance of Crosses 1991-31991Acrylic on canvas
55 1⁄8 x 70 7⁄8 in. (140 x 180 cm)
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Biography
Enlightenment, for me, is about being totally submereged in what I do, in order to be able to release this spiritual power or condition that is represented in my work.
Ding Yi (b. 1962, Shanghai, China), is a leading figure in Chinese geometric abstraction who lives and works in Shanghai. Ding’s early education took place amidst China’s Cultural Revolution. His practice was developed in reaction to Socialist Realist propagandist imagery, called xuanchuanhua, which flooded the country’s visual landscape during his formative years, as well as by later studies in Chinese ink painting at Shanghai University, which he attended from 1986 to 1990.
During this period, the artist created a system for constructing nonrepresentational works using solely the motif of a rudimentary cross—depicted alternately as x and +—which he developed into an ongoing series he named “Appearance of Crosses.” To construct the work in this series, Ding first maps out underlying compositions on his wood and paper supports before building up accumulations of crosses to realize these compositions using unmixed paints taken straight from the tube. The series is dictated by a strict set of rules intended to detach the resulting paintings from representation, as well as from meaning and emotion. Instead, he describes these paintings as representations of spirit.
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Exhibitions
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Ding Yi
Lightscapes 4 May - 17 June 2021 New YorkTimothy Taylor is pleased to present Lightscapes, a solo exhibition of works by Chinese artist Ding Yi (b. 1962), presented simultaneously at Timothy Taylor’s New York gallery at 515 West 19th Street and online in the Frieze Viewing Room, coinciding with Frieze New York 2021. This is the artist’s fifth exhibition with the gallery, comprising three paintings and six drawings, created specifically for the show. The exhibition will be accompanied by an interview with Alexandra Munroe, the Senior Curator of Asian Art, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.View More -
Ding Yi
Recent Works 31 October - 9 November 2019 LondonTimothy Taylor is delighted to present an exhibition of recent works by Ding Yi at the gallery’s new London space. Join Professor Shane McCausland for a special tour of the exhibition Ding Yi Recent Works on 4th November, 6–7pm at Timothy Taylor, London. Shane McCausland is the Percival David Professor of the History of Art at SOAS, University of London. He is an historian of visual arts and material culture, with a particular focus on the painting and calligraphy produced in dynastic China. McCausland is also a curator of Chinese contemporary art, curating Ding Yi’s exhibition What’s Left to Appear at the Long Museum (West Bund) in Shanghai, 2015.View More -
Ding Yi
Appearance of Crosses 29 September - 28 October 2017 New YorkDing Yi has been making abstract paintings using crosses and grids since the late 1980s. The cross, whether a ‘+’ or an ‘x’ with thematic variations, is a motif that the artist has declared a formal mark without meaning, in order to emphasise his rationalist approach to painting. The late works on wood boards reflect Ding Yi’s continuing dialogue with China’s fast-paced development in the last three decades. The intensity and dynamism of the rapid urbanisation is embodied in the interlacing woodcuts and brushworks. Whether predominantly black, paired on tartan, or elaborated in intense fluorescent colours, all works bear the title Appearance of Crosses with a date.View More -
Ding Yi
19 May - 8 July 2017 LondonTimothy Taylor is honoured to announce Ding Yi’s first solo exhibition in London. Continuing his ongoing investigation, Appearance of Crosses, this show will present seven never-before seen paintings. As one of today’s preeminent Chinese contemporary artists Ding Yi’s work employs a distinctive language of mark- making to examine the function of abstract painting both as a personal form of expression and meditation, as well as a channel through which to consider the rapid socio-political developments of 20th century China.View More -
Substance
18 July - 14 August 2015 LondonContinuing its Philip Guston season, Timothy Taylor is pleased to announce the group exhibition Substance, which takes as its point of departure the “meat and potatoes” of Guston’s layered, visceral paintings – coined by Mark Leckey in his Cinema in the Round (2008) – and then goes on to explore the idea of substance in art from different points of view.View More
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Institutional Exhibtions
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Ding Yi: Prediction and Retrospection
Château la Coste, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, Aix-en-Provence 3 July – 15 September 2024A major institutional survey of Ding Yi will be mounted this summer at Château La Coste, featuring over 30 works realised over the last forty years. Curated by Alfredo Cramerotti,... -
Ding Yi: Homeland and Journey
Huamao Museum of Art Education and Ningbo Art Museum, ChinaHomeland and Journey is the first solo exhibition of acclaimed artist Ding Yi in the city of Ningbo. The show is co-organized by Ningbo Art Museum and Huamao Museum of... -
Ding Yi: Cross Galaxy
The Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition, Shenzhen, China 16 August – 15 October 2023Ding Yi: Cross Galaxy breaks the linear narrative of time, selecting more than 60 works from Ding Yi's 'Cross' series. New paintings, installations and digital artworks have been created especially... -
Ding Yi: Flowing Infinity
TAG Art Museum, Qingdao, China 13 August – 23 October 2022This exhibition focuses not only on Ding Yi's historic work with the cross symbol as a symbolic language, but also reveals new masterpieces inspired by the sea. The show presents... -
Ding Yi in Tibet: Multi-Verse
Jebum-gang Art Center, Lhasa, China 25 June – 14 August 2022This exhibition reveals a series of never-before-seen works created by the Chinese artist on the theme of Tibet. It also presents a retrospective selection of his most celebrated works from... -
Ding Yi: The Cross Style
The Long Museum, Chongqing, China 9 September – 28 February 2020From September 19th to December 20th, 2020, The Long Museum will host Ding Yi: The Cross-Style, curated by renowned curator and art historian Carol Yinghua Lu. The exhibition will present... -
Ding Yi in The Challenging Souls
Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China 28 April – 28 July 2019In April 2019, the Power Station of Art presents ‘The Challenging Souls’, a unique exhibition showcasing avant-garde artists Yves Klein, Lee Ufan and Ding Yi. Coming from different cultural backgrounds... -
Ding Yi: 十×30 Years
Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China 30 September – 2 November 2018 -
Ding Yi in Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World,
Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao 11 May – 23 September 2018Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World is a major exhibition of contemporary art from China spanning 1989 to 2008, arguably the most transformative period of modern Chinese... -
Ding Yi's 70 Circles
The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 16 – 28 May 201770 circles (2013) by Chinese abstract artist Ding Yi will be on display in Gallery 10, on the ground floor, 16–28 May. This will be a temporary continuation of the... -
Ding Yi: What's Left to Appear
Long Museum (West Bund), Shanghai 7 June – 26 July 2015Long Museum (West Bund) is delighted to announce a forthcoming solo show of the acclaimed contemporary abstract painter Ding Yi , entitled What's Left to Appear. The exhibition runs from...
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Press
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Alfredo Cramerotti maps meaning to method in artist Ding Yi’s practice
Ranjana Dave, Stir World, 12 September 2024 -
Ding Yi Draws Lines in the Great Expanse
Ryan Waddoups, Surface, 15 August 2024 -
Interview with Ding Yi and his curator Alfredo Cramerotti at Château LaCoste, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, France
Auronda Scalera, Whitehot Magazine, 10 August 2024 -
Taking a Journey Into Minimal Abstraction With Artist Ding Yi at Château La Coste
Elisa Carollo, Observer, 31 July 2024 -
Ding Yi: Cross Galaxy at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art
Enid Tsui, South China Morning Post, 28 August 2023 -
Ding Yi: Painting Possibilities
FOLD Magazine, 20 February 2020 -
Ding Yi: 70 Circles in the British Museum Magazine
British Museum Magazine, 29 October 2018
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News
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Blank Canvas at Timothy Taylor | Ding Yi
Timothy Taylor, 15 Carlos Place, London, W1K 2EX 24 June 2017, 11am—1pmUsing Ding Yi ’s exhibition as a springboard for ideas, artist-educators Blank Canvas will devise a thematic workshop for children. -
Short Film | Ding Yi: Dimension of Crosses
Mojie Art Museum, Taiyuan, China 29 April – 28 June 2023 -
Ding Yi: What's Left to Appear
Long Museum (West Bund), Shanghai 7 June – 26 July 2015Long Museum (West Bund) is delighted to announce a forthcoming solo show of the acclaimed contemporary abstract painter Ding Yi , entitled What's Left to Appear. The exhibition runs from... -
In Conversation | Ding Yi and Tim Marlow
Timothy Taylor, London 8 August 2017
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Publications