Shanghai opens first exhibition of Wang Yi

The River and Boat series have been much inspired by Brazilian writer Joao Guiaraes Rosa (1908-1967)'s short story The Third Bank of the River, Wang said. Like the hero in the story, Wang saw the river and the island as safe havens for those escaping from society, and created different scenarios of recluses hiding in the boat or the jungles on a no man's island.

Wang was fascinated by the dark side of the Grimms' Fairy Tales, and his Red Riding Hood series are visual interpretation for the tale from a grownup's perspective.

British curator and critic Lewis Biggs provided academic support for the exhibition. Biggs recalled his first impression of Wang's artwork at the John Moores Prize, which shows a human figure sitting on a rock in the river, with a lion in the foreground staring at him.