Between Prediction and Retrospection is a survey exhibition of works by Ding Yi, a leading figure in Chinese geometric abstraction, featuring works on canvas, wood and paper, created over the last forty years.

Drawing on both Eastern philosophy and Western aesthetics, the exhibition presents a range of approaches to contemporary painting, from experimental, process-based works to more traditional techniques. Throughout his extensive career, Ding has employed these methodologies to explore cross-cultural perspectives, addressing the impact of rapid technological development, urbanisation, and broader societal shifts.

The ‘predictive’ element in the exhibition title references the use of the cross sign (whether a ‘+’ or an ‘x’) as a symbolic gesture or mark. His work bridges Western and Eastern formal aesthetics while also anticipating the binary code—the visual cornerstone of today’s digital age.

The ‘retrospective’ aspect is reflected in the selection of works spanning from the 1980s to the present, a period marked by significant societal transformations, including the fall of Soviet Communism, the decline of the American Dream, and the rise of China and Southeast Asia.

Ding’s practice, with its distinct and motif-based approach, offers a lens through which the results of these historical shifts can be understood.

Between Prediction and Retrospection reveals Ding’s mastery in navigating the intersections of tradition and innovation, guiding viewers on a transcendent journey through a visual language where every brushstroke speaks volumes.

Curated by Alfredo Cramerotti, former Director of Mostyn, and Kalliopi Tsipni-Kolaza, Curator of Visual Arts at Mostyn, the exhibition is generously supported by Timothy Taylor.

Artist's Profile

Ding Yi (b. 1962, Shanghai, China) is a leading figure in Chinese geometric abstraction who lives and works in Shanghai. Ding’s early education took place amidst China’s Cultural Revolution. His practice was developed in reaction to Socialist Realist propagandist imagery, called xuanchuanhua, which flooded the country’s visual landscape during his formative years, as well as by later studies in Chinese ink painting at Shanghai University, which he attended from 1986 to 1990.

During this period, the artist created a system for constructing nonrepresentational works using solely the motif of a rudimentary cross—depicted alternately as x and +—which he developed into an ongoing series he named “Appearance of Crosses.” To construct the work in this series, Ding first maps out underlying compositions on his wood and paper supports before building up accumulations of crosses to realize these compositions using unmixed paints taken straight from the tube. The series is dictated by a strict set of rules intended to detach the resulting paintings from representation, as well as from meaning and emotion. Instead, he describes these paintings as representations of spirit.

In summer 2024, the artist had a major institutional survey at Château La Coste in Provence, France, featuring over 30 works realised from the last forty years, titled Prediction and Retrospection.

Image credit: Ding Yi, Between Prediction and Retrospection, installation view at Mostyn, 2025. Photo: Rob Battersby.