Making The Familiar Unfamiliar

Ian Findlay-Brown


The art of the Chinese painter Cheng Yajie, now resident in Singapore, has moved inexorably from the studied social realism of his early career in the 1980s to a world of fantasy and then to a deeply personal social-surrealistic style that better reflects his vision of the world. He has drawn on a wide range of international influences and experiences to develop a style that speaks beyond the limits of cultural boundaries.


The challenges for all artists in developing a personal visual identity are numerous indeed. It is never a simple task to unite one’s life experiences and constant changes in society into a coherent whole that will speak beyond one’s immediate environment, to societies that are far removed from one’s own cultural roots and traditions. To make a visual language that both adheres to one’s own values and art traditions and yet also embraces a new visual vocabulary and content is the aspiration of all artists of substance. To create something of a universal voice that speaks boldly across cultural boundaries is a supreme artistic challenge in the modern world where art trends and fads arrive at blinding speed. Making a comprehensible narrative of the world through painting has never been as perplexing as it is at the start of the 21st century. Contemporary art is tormented by the anxiety of personal and artistic identity, consumerist art trends, the role of multiculturalism, and the vagaries of the globalization of art. These are things that the Chinese painter Cheng Yajie understands. Even as a young student in China, Cheng’s work suggested an intuitive artistic sensibility far beyond the confines of his environment. To break free from the restrictions of his early art experiences in China to develop the unique voice that he has attained has required a singular effort in harnessing both his artistic abilities and his world experience.
The history of Chinese art over the past six decades

程亚杰油画<胭脂>