Yang Shaobin

signed in Pinyin and dated 2007

Private Collection, USA

This work is generally in good condition. There are two main areas of craquelures on either side of the blue face at the top centre. Around the face and on their nose, there are sporadic fine hairline paint separations. Please note that it was not examined under ultraviolet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

As an artist Yang Shaobin has been profoundly affected by innumerable political developments. He no longer focuses on the microcosm of his existence but looks at the global macrocosm. In this period he was increasingly relating to Western contemporary art, finding in it key figures advocating the same artistic ideology. Yang Shaobin believes in cultural symbiosis: "My view is that, in art, collaboration between cultures is just as important in the trading relations. It is a chain of mutual dependencies, in which every link is contained in the other."

Focusing on the history of contemporary art, Yang Shaobin finds many observers attuned to the same concerns, anxieties, using similar representations. The deformed figures of Francis Bacon, who led a life of endless battles on both personal and political levels, spoke of fragmentation of human beings by banal or everyday violence.

Tereza de Arruda, Berlin, June 2009