Through his concern for the most insignificant subjects and the pertinence of his narrative framework, not a moment goes by where Yang Jian doesn’t use his artistic creation to stir up habitual experiences and the restrictions and stipulations imposed on daily life. At face value, this kind of joking and teasing – both theatrical and humorous at the same time – is diametrically opposed to a great many previous performance methods that related explicitly to Realpolitik. Oftentimes the artist constructs grotesqueness to reach the shore opposite to that of the truth. Either that or he uses randomness and coincidence to unfurl a vigorous, technical rhetoric, whereby he uncovers a logical revolt hidden beneath everyday appearances.

At first glance, Yang Jian’s artistic practice seems oriented towards a kind of “technical” rhetoric with regards to emotions or phenomena, when in actual fact it possesses a melancholic, novel-like core, as well as a montage-like attitude that is revealed when his work deals with specific incidents.

通过对最微不足道对象的关注以及叙事架构的切中肯綮，杨健的创作无时无刻不在挑动着惯常经验和日常规制，这种兼具戏剧性和幽默感的戏谑和调侃与以往很多明确指涉现实政治的行为方式面目迥然，他往往是通过营造怪诞来抵达真相的彼岸，或在随机与偶然之中展开强有力的技术修辞，揭示隐藏在日常表象下的逻辑悖逆。

杨健的艺术实践初看起来导向某种对于情感或现象的“技术性”修辞，实则携带着忧郁的小说式内核，以及对事件处理时流露出的蒙太奇态度。其创作涉及影像、装置和行为等不同领域。

—in White Space Beijing (read more)

Artist website