After months of careful preparation by five dedicated A2 students of Yew Wah, the art exhibition De Soleil - The Man Who Chased the Sun was officially launched on November 20, 2020.

There is an impressive range of art on show, from traditional paintings, to installation art and photography. Each work is different, but the theme of "chasing the sun" remains throughout. The inspiration for the concept "day by day" comes from Icarus in Greek mythology and the Chinese legend of Kuafu in Shanhaijing. These students and artists have found traces left by the sun to explore the significance of their own existence. Just like light in the world, they are trying to follow their own life paths. That's the underlying meaning of “de Soleil”.

"We will record and think about the parts of life that conform to the concept of 'chasing the Sun', and then present them in the form of art. Each student has his or her own exploration of different topics. Because of the different depths of entry, the forms of works will also become more diverse: the works on display this time include but are not limited to traditional paintings, installation art, and photography. We hope to convey our views and positions, and our passion. This exhibition is also one of the 'chasing the Sun' processes: we have launched new attempts in unknown areas. It is possible that our life is a 'chasing the Sun' process, as we continue to explore and constantly find our own way. In this process, every moment and every second has a certain meaning, and everything also comes down to the search for beauty."
– Giulio Xia, Cindy Wang, Isaac Zhang, Carina Wu and Leo Lin, Curators and Artists

"We are very thankful that YWIES Shanghai Lingang has such a group of young people who bravely chase the sun! Their works show the unique perspective of modern young people. Their works reflect their deep thinking on social lives, historical moment, science, and technology era. Their works are pure and bright, filtered the real world around us; their work is seen through clear eyes to save the nature of things and make undisguised criticism and thinking. Their works make us obsessed, happy and proud! May the young people of YWIES Shanghai Lingang always keep up with the sun and be messengers of warmth and love."
– Mr Jeroen Gakes, Ms Linda Li and Ms Maggie Zhou Co-Principals

"With this very first student-led Art & Design exhibition, these five students have set the bar extremely high for any prospective student wanting to do the same in the future. The students initialised their own concepts in five completely different directions. With the guidance of Ms Agnes Zhang, the students spent months planning out exactly what they wanted to do, using specialised technology to create a three-dimensional virtual exhibition space carefully considering the available space as well as initiating additional spaces for their ambitious installations and concepts."
– Ms Bekkie Wasserman, Head of Visual Arts Department and A Level Visual Arts Teacher

“The collective result was a work of art, and so was the process, characterised by perseverance, diligence, camaraderie, professionalism and depth of thinking.

Giulio Xia not only thought about ‘the nature and fate of the technology era’ in the creation of his work, but also linked it with the famous contemporary American social critical theorist Bernard Stiegler's core topic.

In Isaac Zhang's, exhibition ‘De Soleil – The Man Who Chased the Sun’ a thematic link between the story of Icarus in Greek mythology and the Kuafu of Chinese legend is visually evident.

Cindy Wang's ‘meticulous’ art manner, and poetic writing style communicates wonderfully.

Carina Wu produces ‘eye-catching’ work that is driven by a productive diligence, and controlled artistry.

Leo Lin always impresses his audiences with works that are honest and low-key and executed with pragmatism."
– Ms Agnes Zhang, A Level Visual Arts Teacher and “De Soleil” Senior Art Exhibition Advisor

Exhibition Scene
Each one of these students has touched on, in their own individual way, the questioning paradigm and exploration of human existence.

Guilio is asking some serious questions about dealing with artificial intelligence and losing our sense of privacy through it constantly being monitored. He used a broad range of materials, including installation and sound art, to communicate, explore and question our existence. Guilio continues to explore the topic of racial discrimination through photography and sculpture.

Both Cindy and Carina, in different ways, question the notion of "beauty and appearance" as set out by society. Through their art, they are asking the questions that so many girls (worldwide) ask: "Why should there be limitations to the perceptions of beauty?" If we say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", why do so many girls still feel confined to these boundaries? Why is there such a short list of characteristics on the "check-list" that defines this somewhat narrow definition? Cindy continues to exemplify the idea of "freedom" and the possibilities of living in a world, free of any confines.

In Isaac's personal investigation, he deals with the various stages of grief - depicting that in monotone oil paint, with gold leaf accents representing shells. He investigates the similarities of the outer secretion of the shells, and the symbolic link to that of one's emotions in life, death and grief. In his second series of work, Isaac sees a need to improve not only the visual impact but also the user friendliness of information related posters such as the Green Codes used nationwide during the pandemic of 2019-2020.

Furthermore, Leo explores the possibilities of industrial design by creating realistic solutions to real world problems. His designs serve more than one function, eliminating waste and allowing for more convenient interaction and user experience.

Align with Culture and Arts
YWIES Shanghai Lingang provides every student with a well-rounded and balanced education. The arts are an essential aspect of the human experience, and are fundamental to the YWIES philosophy and objectives. We therefore ensure all students are exposed to a wide variety of arts throughout their school life.