Yang Qian, born in 1959 in Chengdu, China, is a member of the first generation of Contemporary artists from Mainland China. Yang attended the Sichuan Fine Art Institute from 1982 to 1984, before obtaining an MFA at the University of Florida, in the United States in 1988. He has held multiple teaching positions, and his work has been exhibited internationally at such institutions as the National Museum of China, Beijing; the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul; and the Czech National Art Museum, Prague.
Yang works primarily with photography and painting, and there are often many layers of meaning contained within each piece of his art. His subjects vary, but are often female, with concepts drawn from everyday life. Yang’s art shifts between illusion and reality, playing with his viewer’s sense of perception. He continuously pushes the limits of two-dimensional painting, utilizing new media in his work, and departing from traditional painting and its limitations. In Yang’s Bathroom series, the subjects are often shrouded behind steam, and viewers observe them through a mirror that Yang has painted. There is a sense of realism, but also a carefully crafted layer of illusion and mystery. Yang has been highly praised for his innovative painting techniques, and he continues to live and work in Beijing.