Artist examines directionless society

A tailless bird that can barely fly is marooned on a dark cloud above surreal landscapes that are beautiful but clearly out of kilter as they glow with a strange light.

This is a sample of a scene in one of Gao Huijun's paintings. Known for his acrylic paintings, the exhibition "High up on the Mountaintop — Recent Works by Gao Huijun 2014" showcases 20 of his latest works at Longmen Art Projects through October 25. Several Chinese ink paintings on rice paper are mixed in among the acrylic paintings.

The artist prefers acrylic paintings because they create a greater sense of air, rain, streams, waterfalls and snow caps, showing a new face of Chinese landscape painting. The result is reminiscent of masterful traditional painting, he says.

Gao adds he greatly admires Swiss German painter Paul Klee (1879-1940), who said a painter should paint what will be seen, not what he sees.

Born in Central China's Hebei Province in 1966, Gao is a graduate of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts and has his own studio in Beijing, which he set up in 1994. His neighbors include Fang Lijun and Zhang Xiaogang, both big-name contemporary artists.

Yang Shaobin, Gao's classmate and a renowned contemporary artist, describes him as a scholarly critic by nature, although he tends to cover his real opinions with symbolism, which has become his motif.

"Actually I am an artist difficult to categorize," Gao says, "because the contemporary and critical elements are mingled with something very traditional."

For example, Gao plucks out the tail feathers of the birds in his paintings, taking away their ability to control their direction of flight, which is an allegory for the awkward situation in Chinese society.

"Tail feathers are not only beautiful but also necessary to control the direction of flight," he says. "This bird symbolizes the current problem, the directionless state of modern Chinese society that is caught in a world that is neither east, west, north or south."

In other paintings, viewers can see spheres and geometric figures, such as Salvador Dali's classic melting clock and other unexpected images in a Chinese landscape.

"It's a portrayal of my inner world as well as my exploration of modern aesthetic structure," he says.

Gao admits he is not the most prolific of painters, completing about 10 pieces a year.

"This is my habit. I prefer to paint a bit, read from an ancient book, then enjoy tea or reflect for a while," he says. "My joy comes from freedom, the best feature of this dangerous and turbulent life. Freedom is the reason that life makes sense."

He spends half the year in Los Angeles, which he says allows him to "fully enjoy the sunshine, the healthy air and a peaceful heart."

Date: Through October 25, 10am-6pm

Venue: Longmen Art Projects

Address: Suite 102 Tian'an Center, 338 Nanjing Rd W.