He was born in 1965 and practiced performance art in Dongcun Village; he took the Italian nationality in 1997 and studied there since to become a master painter of Trans-avantgarde Art; in 2005, he went back to China. This is Gao Yang who has witnessed the development course of Chinese modern art during his artistic career over these years. In pursuit of his dream of modern art, Gao Yang moved to the West and has developed an increasing clear idea about his own gradually artistic ideal and attitude after years of study, thinking and living there,.
　　At the beginning of 2008, Gao Yang created a series of new works, which were pulled together with the small gadgets he collected during his spare time and which underline the style of Italian arte povera. Concerning these new works, the following characteristics are worth special notice: first, different from other artists with overseas background, these works do not feature typical Chinese artistic symbols, highlighting the international style of his works; second, the artist has created a genre of artistic pattern, i.e., the “comprehensive material art”; third, the disposal of materials is unique, constituting an art language which underlines the particularity of materials.
　　With the so-called “internationalized” language, an artist does not have to start with the concept in the creation of artworks. Rather, he/she can choose a subject and pattern from bottom of his/her heart in pursuit of universal humanity and the essence of universal art.
　　Gao Yang was impacted by “arte povera” when studying in Italy, and his works have inherited the values of various styles. The artist has also carried on this style, which mirrors what he feels at the bottom of his heart. On this level, Gao Yang, giving consideration to his internal feelings, has chosen and developed the style of arte povera and moved the audience of various races with the emotional 　　power of his artworks. Such an art language is undoubtedly international.
　　Subconsciously Gao Yang has kept exploring art forms and achieved constant breakthroughs to develop finally the form of “painting device” presented before us. The failure to classify his works into existing art genres is evidence to the creativity of the artist. The life of art lies in creativity. If an artist stops challenging himself/herself, his/her life is over. “Painting device” marks a revolutionary breakthrough over the easel paintings. To begin with, the artist sorts the materials he has collected and pastes those of the same feeling on a canvas, which, after the application of grease paint, will become the final artwork.
　　Some casual “poor” materials are imbued with life after being processed by artists, and what this kind of life underlines is not magnificent subjects but the spiritual power of these little materials. Though they are rubbish discarded by the consumption society or extremely cheap goods in a commercial society, Gao Yang seems determined to place an aura over them, imputing an equal life into “poverty”. We have no way to know if this is his original intention, but when presented with such works, a majority of the audience are filled with joy and feel compelled to touch them, which points to the big success of Gao Yang.
　　Both the earlier “expressive” easel style and today’s “comprehensive materials” are fruits of Gao Yang’s serious pursuit of art. Absent from these new works was the angry passion, rashness and impulse of a young artist. In stead, we see the rational obsession of a middle-aged man with life and art.
Gao Yang’s confidence in his art is derived from his rational research on art. He is always serious on art, and never sees it as a “game”. With his calm thinking, the artist has engaged on the road of art. When it comes to modern art, Gao Yang has his own standards: (1) internationalized art language; (2) “anti-culture” in artistic direction; (3) “challenging” attitude towards authority.
　　As an artist with overseas experience, Gao Yang seldom includes symbols of Chinese art in his works and he is rational and clear on this. He thinks this is a quality a real artist should possess. In his opinion, art should be created with life and art in a general sense is closely linked to anyone in emotion which does not differ with nationality or race. On this level, all kinds of art are “homogeneous”, which refers to “internationalization”. Language is limited by national boundaries, and so is culture. But real art knows no boundaries, and Gao Yang has committed himself to developing his own “international” art language while sticking to the belief of boundless art.
　　In the West, since the beginning of modernism, great artists has kept challenging established restrictions on art and culture, which embodies the pursuit of free spirit in art and underlines the principles of rationalism that art can only move forward amid constant self-denials. After reading the experiences of the Western art masters of the modernism school, Gao Yang firmly stuck with the “anti-culture” values. The decision can be call risky and painful as it requires constant reforms and involves the need to deny, not only others but also himself. Needless to say, he has chosen the right road because creativity is the life of art.
　　“The right of speech” – Gao Yang has much to say about it. Spurred by the globalized development of the capitalist economy, the intervention of capital speculation on culture has reached such a level as to hamper the normal development of local culture. Lonely, Gao Yang stuck to his art with no national style and staunchly “fight the right of speech” in silent state under which he creates art with his heart.
　　Those who are familiar with the history of Chinese modern art will not be surprised by the development status of Chinese art. As it were, China is a paradox with both opportunities and challenges and both advantages and disadvantages. In this infinitely open country, artists can freely choose their development course and Gao Yang has also stuck to his own course. But, obviously, his choice was made with a clear and rational head.
　　Undoubtedly, Gao Yang has followed the course of a master of the Western postmodernism which features pursuit of internationalized art language, a individual system of art theories and a persistent obsession with the art of soul that belongs to life even in a constantly changing international market. Such is Gao Yang who found his art direction in theories and who has followed the direction he believes in with a strict attitude towards art. He is a hard worker as well as a peaceful, rational and enthusiastic modern artist.