Taiwanese painter Lin Yen-Wei uses a digital camera to capture close-ups of animal heads and busts in a deliberately lo-fi manner. Using a shallow depth of field, he then applies a careful photo-realist painting technique. The animals in his paintings appear to be invented, mysterious, ambiguous creatures but they are actually the eccentrically wonky, weathered sculptures found in parks, playgrounds and primary schools in Taiwan. For the artist they are nostalgic reminders of childhood, and of a simpler, pre-globalised world.

The White Rabbit Collection is one of the world’s most extensive and significant collections of contemporary art from China. With a focus on works created since the year 2000, the Collection contains almost 3,000 works by over 750 artists and continues to expand. Note that when you click on the link below you will be forwarded to the White Rabbit Collection website.

Explore the work of Lin Yen-Wei in the collection database