AYE Gallery presents the latest solo exhibition featuring new works by Mu Boyan, which is scheduled to be unveiled on 20 November, 2022. The artist has altered the established stereotype of defining “an image” by getting rid of redundant expression, while his portrayal methods tend to be simplified.
Mu Boyan, Harmony, 2022. Travertine, 27x20x17cm. 
Mu Boyan, Mango, 2022. Color on Stainless Steel, 40x32x28cm.
Mu Boyan, Reborn, 2022. Color on stainless Steel, 192x128cm.
The original forms of life germination such as eggs, fruits, embryos, seeds and so on are reflected in his creation. Even the human forms completely dissolve in his sculpture, the unique soft sate of human aesthetic are comprehensively demonstrated. “Fatty” seems to become a phantom body hidden in various organisms in the subtle connection between his previous creation and latest work. It was reborn in the combination of “similar nature,” though it seems to be indescribable in appearance, retaining the temperament of “inertia,” “mildness,” and “humor”. By showing its “happiness” that is not seduced by any desire but it prefers living in a chaotic state, the artist has sublimated “Fatty” from the self-isolation and self-protection to an extension to the deeper realm of spirit.
Mu Boyan, Fatty No. 1, 2022. White Marble, 37x 31 x34cm. 
Mu Boyan, Body, 2022. Color on stainless steel, 45x 60x50cm. 
Mu Boyan, Seed, 2021-2022. Color on stainless steel, 130x22x24cm.
About the Artist
Mu Boyan was born in 1976 in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. He finished his bachelor’s degree from the sculpture department of CAFA in 2002 and continued to pursue his master’s there. He graduated and joined faculty at sculpture department of CAFA in the year 2005.
Mu showed an acute understanding of mould and space at an early age. Mu’s works are mainly sculptures and installations, and he has been dedicated in creating his magnum opus “Fat Men” for many years. In this series of works, he uses resin as coloring, rich and overflowing flesh, rumpled up on their bodies, creating images of naked men with paunchy bellies in various sizes. Some of them are disturbingly enormous, while some others are extremely miniature. Their motions light and fluid, which seem to bear no weight at all. Under Mu’s hands, these fat men are molded into unique shapes cater to different exhibition spaces, conveying a childlike, slack character with a calm and collected spirit. Although Mu considers models are the best teachers, his “Fat Men” didn’t model from any real characters.
He hopes to transform flesh into a language, telling the tales of life in intricate details. The lifeless materials he used gradually acquired a sense of breathing after repetitive, tedious adjustments, preserving the fleeting details in several scenes, enabling the audience to rediscover the true meanings of life and reflect upon themselves through fragmented traces.
About the Artist
Dates: Nov 20, 2022 – Jan 12, 2023
Venue: AYE Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and AYE Gallery.
