In the pair of work HERE, Huang Rui has transformed his paintings into three-dimensional work, where he carves circles that evoke the Ukraine War in a graphic and artistic way.

The blue and yellow recall the colors of Ukraine – colors of hope and renewal. The word “here” is connected by the holes carved on the canvas, while in the background Huang Rui drew the word “back”. Together it conveys his message that “peace will be back here”.

The work stands monumental to remind us of a sad reality, that Ukraine is still fighting to find peace. However, in Huang Rui’s interpretation of Taoist philosophy, absence, the hidden face of presence, is simultaneously the genesis of other auspicious possibilities.
 
Born in Beijing in 1952, Huang Rui is one of the founders of The Xing Xing (“The Stars Group”) in 1979 and one of the leaders of Chinese Avant-garde Art. He is also one of the earliest residents of Beijing 798 Art District, the initiator of Dashanzi Art Festival. Huang Rui mainly created painting works in the 1980s, and entered the comprehensive experimental period of art since the 1990s, setting foot in a wide range of fields such as installation, performance art, photography, and printmaking. He held many solo exhibitions and participated in major exhibitions at home and abroad.