Bu Yunjun takes Cézanne’s still lifes as a point of departure, circumventing the direct depiction of real-world objects. Instead, he reactivates existing images as a means to reconfigure the relationships between time, memory, and perception. Through a blurred and indirect mode of viewing, the historical gaze embedded in these images is gradually transformed into layers of personal sediment. As acrylic layers accumulate, the original image recedes—not entirely erased, but lingering as a visual undercurrent. With the progression of his practice, the subject matter expands from still life to include figures and other more open-ended motifs. For Bu, the act of covering is not about concealment, but a deliberate strategy of distance—one that frees the image from predetermined narratives and allows it to drift within a grey zone between perception and imagination. Confronted with these works, one senses the persistent presence of something submerged, yet its meaning and origin remain elusive and undefined.
