He Xiangyu, Hard Palate 20-2 (2020). Pencil, Japanese ink, coloured pencil, oil coloured pencil, oil stick, crayon on paper. 660 x 522 cm. Courtesy the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York.
Running from 15 January to 21 February 2021, Soft Dilemma is He Xiangyu's first solo show both at Andrew Kreps Gallery and in the U.S.
Living and working between Beijing and Berlin, He Xiangyu's conceptual works are spaces of exploration into his personal and political experiences.
Hard Palate 20-2 is part of his ongoing series named 'Palate Project'. Xiangyu began this series in response to the language barrier he encountered after relocating to the U.S. in 2012, and the subsequent difficulty he experienced in navigating his new surroundings.
Swathes of black Japanese ink form the backdrop of this work, while coloured pencil and crayon is both scrubbed or, in parts, worked in softly to create Xiangyu's undulating forms.
This repetitive and meditative process reflects the movements of his tongue on his palate and the various possibilities as a result of this.
