de Sarthe Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by Yang Kai at the Beijing Project Space entitled, “YANG KAI.” The exhibition proposes a question: how does information found on the internet lead people to alter their subjective visions of reality.

The exhibition presents many so-called “shadows” of a supposed individual. On this occasion, the various identities that are all known as Yang Kai come together to explore the idea of a “social existence.” Together, they present different (suspicious) materials and objects that provide evidence of their existence. Akin to a hypnotic state of mind, these shadows continue to create new topics to feed a larger narrative, inviting the viewers to transport themselves away from their trivial daily lives and move towards an idealized parallel universe. These virtual identities newly formed by the artist ignite within the audience an inner desire to reconsider the way one views his/her own world. It emphasizes the dialectic of what we consider real and what we consider virtual: we are sometimes passively seduced away from reality just as we also use pieces of our virtual identity to stimulate our real lives.