Sparkling Angel. Photo: Ling Jian

By Xu Liuliu

In real life, you won't find girls so beautiful as those ones artist Ling Jian portrayed. Ling's exhibition at UCCA, which kicked off last Saturday, features paintings and round glasses with the theme Moon in Glass.

A graduate of Central Academy of Arts and Design, Ling Jian has been well known for his super realistic portraits of beauties. Through them, Lin explores for cultural and individual identity within modern society.

"The women in the paintings are representative of our times, representative of the standards applied to women in our times. They reflect the cultural shifts, clashes, contradictions historical scars and individual stories taking place within a given landscape," said the Shandong-born artist.

Ling's three paintings Wind Angel, Soul Angel and Sparkling Angel are hanged on the walls, together with several large round mirrors. Circular shapes create an infinite visual continuity, while the combination of painted canvases and printed mirrors leads to spatial illusions.

The artist explained, "The use of mirrors emphasizes the harmony between audience and artwork, viewer and viewed. Portraits on canvas have been printed on mirrors."

When the viewer gazes at works from different angles, they change, depending on the refraction of light through colored glass. "It is new kind of visual experience," he said.

Before showing at UCCA, Lin exhibited part of his works at Today Art Museum. "If Lin's works are like an art book, the exhibition at UCCA is the second chapter," said director Jér?me Sans of UCCA.

When: until March 9

Where: UCCA Middle Room

Tickets: 15 yuan; free on Thursdays

Contact: 8459-9269/9387