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Gao Hang - Artist Inspiration
- sampearson257
- May 5, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 8, 2024
As mentioned, Gao Hang is an artist who uses my interest in 90/00's video game art. He is known for his raw, unfiltered portrayal of digital graphics, reflecting the awkward yet captivating essence of early video game imagery. Hang's art is not only a critique but also a celebration of the digital world's influence on modern culture and aesthetics. He uses humour and absurdity to invite viewers to reflect on the invasive role of technology in shaping perceptions and experiences.
I love Hang's playful approach with these graphics. As time has passed, they are seen by some as a visual language for comedy, due to their absurd design which creates silly expressions.
I love his choice of compositions too, which zoom into his subjects to the point of invasion. It's like a screenshot or render from a game, where the player enters 'photo mode', taking on a first-person perspective, and plays God whilst time stands still, wandering around the open world without any consequence.
This creates the impression of freedom and control over the artwork, yet it clashes with the impact of the close encounter, due to the size of his works, which feel otherworldly. I enjoy these juxtapositions, as they reflect how we can simultaneously experience opposite emotions and actions.
I also love Hang's full usage of the surface material, as shown here. He uses the flat, smooth dimensions of the material to give the illusion of a physical low-poly object. This is achieved by painting the surface sides, which is deep enough to give the impression of an actual card, but as if created within a 1990's video game. The illusion is slick enough to hide the actual material, and makes it even more believable that it's an object not of this world. It turns the flat, 2D representation of a card on panel, to a tangible, larger-than-life object. A simple, yet highly effective detail.
I will be using this detail in my next works, which should help to 'lift' them off the canvas or surface, and give the illusion of a portal into another world.
"Airbrush has been a favoured medium for years, but this time, he’s cropping so close onto objects that face and form are lost almost entirely to the mapping rendering flaws you’ll find on most early 2000s video games – maybe you’ll make out an ear, if you’re lucky. Gao has always liked the “ridiculousness” of these flaws, and how it proves the human hand in gaming development."
It's Nice That, 2024, 'Gao Hang gets really close up to video game characters, then paints them', (https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/gao-hang-you-see-you-are-also-simulated-art-project-140524)
Airbrush is the perfect medium for Hang is explore these aesthetics, which also gives a dream-like quality, which is soft like clouds.
I quickly wanted to explore this medium, so I used the app Procreate to make a digital painting using airbrush. The perfectly soft edges are great for perspective, as of looking without glasses. I love the idea of breaking down reality into basic shapes, colours, and skeletal elements to evoke a experiential memory. Will definitely be using this in future pieces.
I've created a very abstract representation of my back garden, using the airbrush to represent background trees behind the garden fence. The yellow represents the fencing slats, and the skeletal red shapes are the patio tiles, as if hovering, but sequential to give the impression of going somewhere.
Feedback
Fellow artist Becky had these words to say about the piece:
"Green plants/trees, yellow castle wall and red books flying across the page."
Partially seeing my vision, I still enjoy her take on the piece. Even though it was a quick sketch, I love seeing what others think of my work, as it is interpretive, and stimulates the brain into creating a world from your own experiences.
References
It's Nice That, (https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/gao-hang-you-see-you-are-also-simulated-art-project-140524)
L21 Gallery, (https://www.l21gallery.com/artist/gao-hang/)
It's Nice That, (https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/hang-gao-art-050221)
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