Born in 1980 in Shanghai, Yang Yongliang graduated from China Academy of Art in 2003 majoring in Visual Communication. He started experimenting with contemporary art in 2005, exploring the use of various mediums such as photography, painting, video, and installation. Yang Yongliang exploits a connection between tradition and the contemporary, implementing ancient oriental aesthetics and literati beliefs with modern language and digital techniques. His work presents an expanding meta-narrative that draws from history, myth, and social culture playing out in the context of the city and its ever-changing landscapes. He is known for using architectural images as brushstrokes and his depiction of heavy mountain rocks with enriched details draw a faithful reference to Song Dynasty's landscape painting. Urban development gives prosperity to city life, yet it simultaneously imprisons many. Similarly, a centuries-old cultural tradition in China has dignified profoundness, but it is always fraught with stagnation. Ancient Chinese people painted landscape in admiration of the magnificent nature, whereas Yang's works lead us towards critical re-consideration of contemporary reality. In terms of media and content, a strong sense of post-modernism is combined with traditional aesthetics. His works have been collected by prominent public institutes such as the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The artist lives in Shanghai and New York.