Portraits that are larger than life

"Teresa Teng" by Lin Hairong

Big-headed faces with squinty eyes are a trademark of Lin Hairong's portraits.

Her solo exhibition, "Alluring Figures — Works by Lin Hairong 2014," showcases her latest creations at Longmen Art Project.

"Diverging from my previous pieces, my latest series focuses only on human figures. I have been observing everyone who has appeared in my life, and as long as they interest me, I transcribe them onto the canvas," she says. "I have been trying to find a way to make them look authentic and I enjoy observing the emotions of people and exploring a way to convey their silence, delight, sorrow and humor. The process brings me huge joy and satisfaction."

Even when dealing with famous people like contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama or famous singer Teresa Teng, Lin tends to give them a poetic and theatrical look, creating consistency.

Born in 1975 in Heilongjiang Province, Lin is a graduate of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts with a Master's degree. She says her love of novels, art, music and personal items inform her work.

For example, "Alluring Mirror" is her first installation. She used two cameo mirrors to make it and says the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera inspired her to look into a mirror and know oneself with excitement and satisfaction.

"It describes the ridiculous yet true reality of our lives. I feed on my paintings. They give me a false sense of escaping reality, pushing me to create the next picture that estranges myself from the material world," she explains.

In the past decade, her big-headed figures have been portrayed in all kinds of characters and become a regular subject throughout her career.

Lin is renowned for making graceful, well-balanced compositions and can be seen to be expressing her admiration for the solemn nature and moderation of classicism through cartoonish images.

The artist says she has been trying to reduce the backgrounds and scene sets and focus more on the expression on people's faces, which gives her paintings a quality of peace and indifference.

"I think I am the kind of person who keeps dreaming, only that I dream on canvas where I can conjure up what I can't in life," she says.

Date: Through January 15, closed on Mondays, 10am-6:30pm

Venue: Longmen Art Project

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