On January 10th, an experimental art exhibition called "Reptiles" opened at M50 in Shanghai, attracting many people to come and watch.
At the opening ceremony, artist Yang Yexin invited a man and a woman to put on shoes with both hands and feet and paint with four feet. The three of them kept crawling and spinning on the painted oil painting board until they were exhausted, leaving traces of the artist's crawling on the board. At this point, the oil painting of the "Reptile" action is declared complete.
The artist displays three paintings together with clothes covered in paint in an art space, accepting the audience's discussion and reflection. This art exhibition of "crawling while painting" is curated and artist by Yang Yexin himself, and it is also another exploration of his "Traces" series of creations. Reptiles "continues to use the" sole "as an artistic symbol, aiming to explore the deep meaning of human existence and how we interact with the world through actions in our daily lives, leaving indelible traces.
杨烨炘《爬行动物2》150X150cm 行为油画 2026
杨烨炘《爬行动物3》150X150cm 行为油画 2026
The artist explores the individual's perception of institutions, power, and value systems on canvas, using the most basic and correct body posture in the animal world of "crawling" - the fiery red, the melancholic blue, and the heavy black. Yang Yexin stated that "reptile" does not refer to a specific species, but rather a metaphorical naming about body position and social structure. In the narrative of humans being constantly asked to "stand", "rise", and "move forward", the body is often repositioned in real-life situations - close to the ground, close to the bottom of order, and completing survival and action in a lower posture.
“爬行动物”展览现场
“爬行动物”展览现场
Exhibition Site of "Reptiles"
Exhibition Site of "Reptiles"
Reptiles "is a behavioral dissection of the power structure and desire mechanisms in contemporary society. At its core, it is a metaphor about human nature, social identity, and value systems: who is crawling? Why crawl? Who made us become 'reptiles' again?
This exhibition will last until March 31st and is open for free.