This painting is inspired by the masterpiece of the renowned master Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), The Last Supper, which was painted for the church Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. The girl in the centre with a pair of angel wings is the focus representing a real person. Equally disturbed on both sides of the girl, there are a total of twelve individuals standing along. These individuals represent various different and diverse psychological states of an inner-self while they are conflicting with each others.



The emphasis of this story is on a broken-headed doll: who broke it? The girl in the centre seems to be the "judge" while everyone is discussing about who "murdered" it. Nonetheless, the "murderer" is one of them holding a knife with an innocent expression, whom indeed is the girl in the centre herself. This is her self-evil that broke the doll. The girl does not recognise this while suspecting others. Such a diverse personality is what everyone has in his/ her inner-self.

In fact, all figures depicted in this painting refer to the same girl but each of them represents the different psychological state of the girl. It is through different expressions and postures of these figures, a set of combined interactions, disputes, conflicts and harmonies is depicted on the canvas.

This painting inspires us to consider problems from different angles. It is only when we understand ourselves that we can see the truth.

Youth is short. I am sincerely trying to depict the enthusiastic and energetic mindset of young people, who are of similar age as me, through realistic painting techniques. I use one colour as the background letting my sitters float in this unknown space. The placement of realistic sitters against the imaginative bold coloured spaces, achieves a strong contrast between the subjective and the objective states, thus creating a sensational impact on audiences. This series attempts to convey the life of nowadays youngsters, which seems to be an individual experience but represents the shared experience of all. Through theses works, I am hoping to bring a pleasant scene and ease mood to audiences while allowing them to understand the wishes, the spirits and the endless energy of this young generation. At least, this is what I am after!

A spectacular young artist with marvelous creativity, Yan Kai, who was born in Jinan city, Shandong province in 1982. The main subject of Yan’s paintings is always a child standing in front of historical famous people. The innocent facial expression and posture of the child, who is painted in colour, strongly contrast with the old people, who are painted in grey tone. By using this young versus old, one versus many, and polychrome versus monochrome, Yan successfully expresses his idea that children are the hope of our future.

In 1987, I first set foot on the Pamir Mountains, up to now, I have spent fifteen summers and winters there. The Pamirs is always bright and colourful, the clear and navy blue sky is accompanied with a unique smell in the air. Although everywhere we lay our eyes on is impoverished and desolate, and the weather is sometimes dreadful; if we are not cautious enough, we will lose our lives easily. Yet to me, the Pamirs is a place that I yearned for and where my soul peacefully rests. It is an irreplaceable holyland, and means more than painting to me.

Twenty years ago one summer, I stood on top of the castle remains in Tashikuergan, which had a history of more than a thousand years. When I looked down, what touched me initially were the peculiar topography, floating colours and the dazzling sunshine in the mountains. Under the broad daylight, all figures and cultural landscapes became elements and languages in my paintings. Through the years, I visited the Pamirs many times, but I was not contented to being a tourist or an observer. For me and the Tajike clansmen, each time our eyes met, we could read into each others’ minds without exchanging words.

My paintings are never able to fully express what I learned from them. The deep affection found in their eyes was rare in this materialistic and secular world, and so was their true friendship. I had come across many of them, though only briefly; memories of my encounters often bring tears to my eyes …Each time when I returned from the tranquil mountains to the bustling city, I could still feel their strong existence. Their simplicity, sincerity, uniqueness and special characters …

I once mentioned that I had a great passion and love for art; but now I have to say that I have a great passion and love for life––I can even feel the existence of my soul! Art serves no more than a media, what we express depends very much on our perception and understanding of the nature of life. This is the same as what the Tajike clansmen had shown me and in certain ways, I had been transformed by them. Such power and strength are the major source and inspiration of art––extremely useful for my entire life.

I would like to say, thank you Pamir Mountains!

I am indeed thankful to life!