By Josh Hughes
If you walk into the VU Gallery anytime from now until February 2 (Groundhog Day!), the first thing you’ll see will likely be a vibrant poster of a man boxing around a field of flames.
Drawn with excessive musculature and an exaggerated facial expression of anguish, the central figure calls to mind Japanese manga. Fixated above him are a set of furiously intense eyes that bleed into the flames, almost suggesting that the fire is nothing more than human hair.
With furrowed brows, the eyes relentlessly stare down the boxing figure, but they almost lurk past him into the gaze of the viewer. The piece is called “Fireboxer”, and it’s one of the many illustrations by Australian multimedia artist Andrew Yee in his exhibit for Western. It functions as the perfect intro piece to a gallery that, apart from titles, explains very little about the artist’s work.
Based in Sydney, Andrew Yee takes inspiration in everything from hip-hop to American pop art to animated film. His artwork, which spans many different mediums, often relates back to a colorful drawing style that’s equally playful and menacing. He’s the type of guy that has both his artist CV (curriculum vitae) and videos of him rapping on his website, http://www.andrewyeeart.com/.
Those looking for stellar rap flow, however, will be disappointed in the gallery. Instead, there’s a focus on Yee’s illustrations, most of which are blown up onto glossy posters that line the space.
In “Track 2002” there’s a marathon runner with a flaming head, and in “Little Furniture” there’s a turtle hanging out around some very tiny chairs.
His style blends the detailed, cartoon-ish outlines that exemplify the emotional intensity of manga with simple, vibrant backgrounds that reference the kitschy pop art of Roy Lichtenstein. It’s a well defined niche that Yee sticks to throughout the whole gallery, even though its works span a good portion of his art career.
“I feel like his work can relate to so many different students on campus. It’s accessible yet interpretative, and I think students can take away very different meanings from his work,” VU Gallery Director Josey Butcher said.
There’s a pervasive interest in the beautifully grotesque, or the harmony of things falling apart that underlines the work.
“Fast Car”, one of the most visually stunning pieces, depicts nothing more than a flaming car, but its rich detail and contrasting oranges and blues make you forget about the destruction taking place.
Likewise, on “Dancer”, a man entirely engulfed in flames appears to be growing sunflowers out of his chest. Besides an outline, only his eyes are distinguishable, staring curiously back at the viewer. Stylized fire is everywhere, but it’s detailed in such elegant patterns and hues that it functions as an aesthetic object of beauty.
The singular piece that breaks Yee’s distinct illustrated style is a video piece shining bright in the middle of the gallery, and it mainly extends his trademark painting style. Made up of many different images, the stop motion video gives life to Yee’s stunning flames and mysterious figures. The video runs through about a dozen different narratives that often depict characters shown in his poster work.
It’s such a succinct gallery that it’d be easy to imagine that it shows the full range of Yee’s work. Yet that would be such a disservice to his vastly different projects, which also include podcasts, full comics, and a video series with his brother, Chris, called MAD LOVE that showcases various artists and locations. The latest episode, for instance, features Yee interviewing people at a sports car event called Hot Import Nights.
As an exhibit with only one artist, the show refreshingly breaks the VU Gallery’s usual streak of group shows. After this exhibit, the gallery will host two more exhibits before it temporarily closes; the gallery will be undergoing changes in the coming months because of construction of the new Multicultural Center. In other words, be sure to go check out Yee’s colorful bonanza before this coming Friday.
