SHENZHEN-BASED painter Xue Yang’s solo exhibition, “The Key to the Pastoral Light,” is now open at the ISM Art Space in Nanshan District. Curated by Kelly He and with Gao Jiangbo as the academic host, the presentation features 12 of the artist’s representative works from recent years, offering a glimpse into her evolving artistic practice. The exhibition will be on view through Nov. 24.

Xue’s recent work intriguingly introduces a Kafkaesque sense of nesting into her pictorial compositions, expressions, and working methods. This creates a layered visual experience for the viewer. The exhibition presents a captivating range of images, from tiny figures adorned in rain hats and scarves to vast, dream-haunted plains and subtly animated creatures. A central theme emerges from these works: a profound, mutual dependence between the subject and the natural world, suggesting an inseparable bond.

The exhibition’s poetic title, “The Key to the Pastoral Light,” carries multiple and resonant layers of meaning. In Chinese, the characters for “pastoral light” (牧光) sound similar to the word for “gaze” (目光), while also directly invoking the idyllic image of a shepherd’s field. This linguistic play extends to a broader sense of mastery over time and space. The concept of the “key” itself gestures toward openings — be they of vision, physical space, or the profound connection between subjectivities that Xue’s works diligently explore.

Xue, who lives and works in Shenzhen, is also a staff member at the city’s renowned Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Futian District. Her artistic significance is further affirmed by the acquisition of her works by prestigious institutions, including the China Women and Children Museum, the Shenzhen Painting Academy, the Shenzhen Art Museum, and the Guan Shanyue Art Museum, alongside numerous private collectors.

Ultimately, through her masterful use of paint, Xue investigates the deep, interconnected relationships among the self, the other, nature, and the world at large. Her practice is a continuous revelation, seeking to uncover the hidden meaning of life and the very essence of being itself.

Dates: Through Nov. 24

Opening hours: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday

Venue: ISM Art Space, 8-9 Jingxiu North Road, Nanshan District (南山区锦绣北街艺森空间)

Metro: Line 1 to Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A(Wei Jie)