Ni Youyu

Specimen Cabinet No.1, Specimen Cabinet No.2 woodcut on mulberry paper, 105 x 72 cm, 2011, Ed 1/5

The “Specimen Cabinet” series comes from my large oil paintings. This time, I used new tools and materials to design a woodblock print.
The so-called “Specimen Cabinet” is actually an air-tight space. Inside are exhibited some things which relate to tradition but actually atypical scenes. The tradition represented in this space is not only vivid but at the same time dead.
The expressive power from this work comes from the fine, sensitive, style of the cutting technique where both vigorous and gentle lines produce a contrast, which creates different forms and images.