I first saw Yao Lu’s landscapes at Fotofest in Houston last year, and the Bruce Silverstein Gallery in NYC has a wonderful exhibit of Yao’s work on exhibition through December 12th. At first glance, the viewer assumes they are looking at a classical Chinese image, but on closer inspection one realizes that Yao has created mounds of garbage covered in green protective nets, assembled and then reworked images of rural mountain landscapes shrouded in the mist. Yao Lu’s work speaks of the radical mutations affecting nature in China as it is subjected to rampant urbanization and the ecological threats that endanger the environment.

Each work is different and each refers to an individual classical painting, ancient Chinese paintings known to many Chinese people. Today China is developing dramatically and many things are under constant construction. Meanwhile many things have disappeared and continue to disappear. The rubbish dumps covered with the ‘shield’, a green netting, are a ubiquitous phenomenon in China.

Be sure to click on the images to see more detail.