In depictions of women, woods, birds and creeks, female artist Shen Ye reveals the kaleidoscope world of her innermost thoughts at her latest exhibition, entitled "The Obscure Object of Desire."

　　The exhibition's title, inspired from the name of a 1977 Spanish film directed by Luis Buñel, reflects the theme of the works, which focuses on women's whimsical and philosophical mental explorations.

　　Visitors look at one of Shen Ye's works exhibited in Today Art Museum, Mar. 17th, 2012. [China.org.cn]

　　"There is always a desire at the bottom of our hearts that cannot often be satisfied," Shen said last Saturday, during the opening ceremony for her exhibition.

　　"[Although unreachable, the desire] truly exists, that's something particularly real in life and that is what captivates my interest," she said.

　　A graduate from China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, Shen adopts a rather random style in her paintings, influenced by her constantly drifting thoughts and sophisticated contemplations.

　　"When I'm painting, I don't think I'm always clear about what I want to express. That kind of obviousness is usually not so real," said Shen, "the intertwined feelings, which are hard to express, would be more real."

　　Once desperate from her numerous failures in job hunting, Shen displayed an adverse attitude toward 'patriarchal' society, saying the world treated women unfairly. But after her exhibitions were featured in one gallery to another, her achievements have somewhat pacified her rebellious feelings.

　　"Now I face patriarchy more positively. It is related to the social structure and cannot be solved simply by shouts and blames," said Shen, "As it is part of our living condition, we need to communicate rather than to defy and to bash. We need to understand [this] and infuse into society."

　　Women are the primary topic of Shen's work. They exist almost everywhere of her paintings, whether in watercolor, oil on canvas or sketches. She said her work reflects her evolving attitudes towards the role of women in society.

　　Li Yaolin, deputy chairman of the Beijing Artists Association, said Shen adopts a metaphysical approach in her paintings, which is "acute, sophisticated and full of emotion."

　　"[Shen] is extraordinary; she manages to [express] precisely what she feels ―the confusion, bitterness and hesitation ―and illustrates [her feelings] in contemporary and conceptual ways," Li said.

　　"Female artists have an inborn advantage in exploring the emotions of human beings. When men consider much about their career and sociability, women insert their beliefs into a world full of sensibilities," Li said. "[Shen's] unaffected attitude reflected in her creations has something to do with the distance she keeps from society."

　　Yet not all attendees believed Shen's approach in representing her identity and beliefs is flawless. One French observer, who identified himself with his Chinese name, Jin Baitang, said the consciousness "Chineseness" of Shen's works might take away somewhat from the paintings' true expression.

　　"When the exhibition's name is the 'Obscure Object of the Desire', I think it is quite normal that you don't pay attention to the faces, you pay attention to the bodies, you pay attention to the expressions of the colors, of the gestures, of the positions for the bodies, so I don't think there is a point to represent the Chinese identities," Jin said.

　　Though far from being traditional, Jin said Shen's paintings still impressed him with their unique composition and organization.

　　Mary Ma, who works in the online advertising industry, said she was touched by Shen's exhibition.

　　"Her paintings left me wrapped with a kind of warmth that could only be felt [from] family. She depicted very beautiful things inside women, exploring deep into their thoughts and feelings," Ma said.

　　The exhibition opened on Mar. 17 and runs until Mar. 27 in the No. 3 Hall at the Today Art Museum in Beijing.

中国网：2012.3.22