Virtual Reality, 6’33’’, 2017

Eternal Landscape (2017) is Yang Yongliang’s very first work based in Virtual Reality. It is an immersive Chinese landscape that allows the audience to walk in wearing VR goggles, or to view in an immersive, multi-channel video projection.

Before starting his career as an independent artist, Yang owned a small commercial studio that specialized in 3D modeling and animation. When Virtual Reality emerged as a platform for artistic creation, Yang responded immediately; not only is it an area of his expertise, but the philosophy of Chinese landscape painting also encouraged him—ancient landscapists had emphasized the idea of ‘mind-traveling’ in landscape paintings, in which the author and viewers imagine themselves on inner journeys. In the present day, technology makes an imaginary immersive journey possible — it is a dream come true.

In respect of the golden age of Chinese landscapes, Yang portrayed an authentic Song Yuan mountain landscape, with no buildings and industrialized elements involved. The project is produced with collaborative inputs between Yang Yongliang Studio in Shanghai and Monochrome in Paris.