These "blue beauty" photos evoke the landscape of the heart and spirit. Photographer Wang Yiqiong says his distinctively Chinese works are meant to heal and comfort.

Mysterious and uplifting landscape photographs chart the terrain of the human heart, and art photographer Wang Yiqiong wields the tools of light and darkness to send messages with a "blue beauty."

His solo exhibition, "Spirit," representing seven years of work, is comprised of 20 photos, ranging from delicate landscapes to unusual self-portraits, one with a toy monkey. It is running at Oriental Vista Art Collections through February 16.

All the works in dark tones are composed within a vertical oval frame and the vertical composition sometimes suggests Chinese painting and calligraphy, as in a waterfall. He hopes to make the oval or ellipse his signature.

"These photos offer a strong tint of South China. They want to tell you something with a kind of 'blue beauty'," explains Wang, 47, a native of Jiangsu Province. "They are close to the heart.

"My artworks are more about what is inside people, they can heal and comfort," he says. The idea behind "Spirit" is to put his dreams in a visual context.

The photos are dark and inviting, and initially seem black and white, but there are deep blues, greens and other tones.

"There's a kind of wonderful relationship between landscape and people that makes you want to see and think, and you won't forget them easily after the show."

Wang, who works in Beijing, took up art in junior high school, studying calligraphy and then painting. Today he works in paint and photography.

"I was forced to learn calligraphy," Wang recalls. "At that time ('cultural revolution,' 1966-76) students needed to write big-character posters. I was asked to make one but I blew it," he says.
 
When his teacher offered to write it for him, Wang was embarrassed. "This was a blow to my pride. So I forced myself to get up at 5am to practice, even on the coldest days when my ink brushes were frozen on the ink stone."

Perseverance paid off. His works were displayed in a school calligraphy exhibition. "My classmates were surprised, because they thought it was impossible for me to do such a good job," he says.

Wang studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts with the same enthusiasm. "I used to spend the whole day working in the studio, and my classmates said I would be killed by all the paint and turpentine fumes."

In the past, he says, many people's works influenced him, but now, "it's time for me to influence others."

"I hope my viewers will take away thoughts of conciliation, peace, agreement and healing after they have seen my work."

Date: through February 16, 10am-6pm
Address: 19 Shaoxing Rd.
Tel: +86(021)5465-7768

(Shanghai Daily January 18, 2008)