Is light used differently in the East compared to the West?

Japanese writer Tanizaki Junichiro thought so, and argued in a famous essay in 1933 that Western cultures look for illumination and clarity, while East Asian cultures embrace shadow and subtlety. 

It's an idea that inspired pioneering digital artist Wang Gongxin, who has just opened  an exhibition at the White Cube gallery in London after more than two years of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The 13 multimedia works presented in "In-Between" investigate the differences between Wang's birthplace, China, and the U.S., where he has spent a lot of time. 

Wang also interrogates Japanese post-war architect Kurokawa Kisho's concept of "Grey Space", in which distinctions between inside and outside, artificial and natural and individual and collective are all blurred. 

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Swinging Gray is one piece that is hard to miss as you walk into the exhibition. 

The installation, which takes up the whole room, consists of two glowing, 3D-printed light bulbs, each fitted with a video camera, which swing like pendulums across pools of water, one dyed black and the other white. 

As the bulbs skim the pools, they affect the illumination of the surrounding space, while cameras capture the visitors from constantly changing angles. After these images are sent by live feed to either side of the gallery's walls, you are able to see yourself on camera.

Wang had a very specific vision for the piece, which explores indeterminate, changeable states - physical and perceptual.

"I required the space to have two doors, and two entrances. There's a camera and depending on the entrance you take, if you stand in front of the black side of the sink, then your image will appear on the wall you are facing and you will see your image in the 20 television monitors.

"If you go into the space and stand up in front of the white part, your image will be displayed on the other wall. The water also splashes on the floor, so if you stand too close to any black or white part, your clothes will get dirty.”

Wang also says that a lot of his work is based on uncertainty, so how did constant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic affect the exhibition and his creative process?

"From the start of the pandemic in 2020, when these works were almost complete in my studio, they still needed minor adjustments," he says. 

"As an artist, if the work is still in front of you, you will never be satisfied. If they have a chance, I believe all artists will constantly adjust their work.”

Toby Kamps, the Director of External Projects at White Cube believes such exhibitions play a crucial role during a period of isolation and self-reflection, like lockdown.  In London, he explains, there is a need more than ever for people not only to express themselves but also to visit galleries and enjoy art. 

"Art has always been about escaping solipsism, getting out of your own head and for a brief moment seeing the world through somebody else's eyes.

"We have spent a lot of time with ourselves over the past couple of years. It's as important as ever and I think Wang Gongxin's exhibition is extremely timely and extremely poignant. As you notice there are no human forms in the work yet it is very much about consciousness and the human condition."

In-Between by Wang Gongxin is open to the public at White Cube Mason's Yard in London between the 19th January and 26th February. 

Video editors: Murray Job and Kevin Gardam