Multimedia artist feels sense of freedom as he returns to basics

Oil painting Forgotten Vacancy by You Jin is among the exhibits at his upcoming solo show The View of Heterotopos at the Alternative Space Loop gallery in Seoul. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"When you want to produce a video, you have to draw story boards and not rely only on scripts."

The exhibition's title is derived from French philosopher Michel Foucault's idea of "heterotopias", through which he says that people require imagination to comprehend a physical space. According to Foucault, different spaces and time zones coexist to form a new world.

At the exhibition, Foucault's concept has been brought to life through You's brushwork.

In his works, You rearranges fragmented real-life scenes to create an illusory, surreal feeling. In his creations, You juxtaposes objects from different periods and worlds through which he offers perspectives on cultural clashes, as well as the complexity of modern life.

In Forgotten Vacancy, a painting he did last year, You places a sofa in a setting that features the characteristics of traditional Chinese garden.

Throught it he pays tribute to classic Chinese philosophy on living space that has been forgotten as the country goes global.

You says that people of his generation have grown up being more exposed to Western art and culture, including music, movies and paintings, as compared to Chinese cultural traditions.

"The digital age now enables people to learn a lot about the world. But five years ago, I got bored (with being surrounded by too much information), so I returned to the roots of Chinese culture and have found a tranquil, enduring beauty in it."

In Helpless Dormancy, a work he produced this year, a man sleeps in a room that is filled with desks, shelves, stairs and doors.