Born in Tianjin, China, Dong Yang’s early life was a tapestry of intellectual pursuits, his family comprising engineers, teachers and doctors. Yet, it was his grandfather’s collection of European sculptures, paintings and photos that cast a magical spell over Yang. This treasure trove of art ignited his imagination and, by 5 years old, he was fashioning delicate models of animals from plasticine.
His formative years led him to the Tianjin Art and Crafts School, and later, the Central Academy of Arts in Beijing, where he studied under Qian Shan Wu, dean of the sculpture faculty. Qian, recognizing Yang’s talent, took him as his assistant and, together, they embarked on an eight-year odyssey of public sculpture creation, a period that profoundly shaped Yang’s artistic voice.
In 1996, Yang moved to Shanghai,…
