The innovative approach of the Chinese artist from Nanjing reshaped the perception of mortise-and-tenon

These two installations as the embodiment of modern rethinking of the past have been recently represented in the 120th-anniversary celebration exhibition of the Nanjing Normal University held at the National Art Museum of China. The installation, made of acrylic and walnut wood, borrows the mortise-and-tenon structural element from Song dynasty architecture.

For thousands of years, the Chinese generations of architects and artisans have been creating exquisite mortise-and-tenon structures with wisdom and ingenuity, conveying the local ancient cultural spirit through alternating the combination of concave and convex shapes.

“If the mortise is square, the tenon will be square; if the tenon is round, the mortise will be round. Sing along with each other and share the same destiny; we are a community,” explains the description of the artwork. 

The seamless integration of two different shades and materials implies a perfect covenant relationship.

The author Li Yang, a contemporary Chinese artist and designer,  was born in 1962 in Nanjing, China. He graduated from Jiangsu Ceramic Industry School Beijing Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, majoring in ceramics. Later, he worked as a designer in Jiangsu Arts & Crafts Import and Export Company. Since 1989, he has taught the design major at the Academy of Fine Arts of Nanjing Normal University. 

His artistic legacy includes ceramics, sculptural installations, architectural concept modeling, graphic design, and oil paintings. 

In recent years, the artist has set foot in the hotel art design industry and created and designed environmental artworks that keep pace with the times for newly opened hotels of internationally renowned brands.