The work presents a surrealistic urban nightscape merged with a boundless night sky; here the artificial world and the natural world coexist, interwoven, in a motley harmony. Through cutting edge digital imaging technologies, this work is rendered at near-8K resolution. Incorporating a large amount of footage purposely shot in Macao and photographs of the signature architecture of the city, the video has the distinct flavour of Macanese culture and topography, raising provocative questions about the issue of regionality in the exhibition.

“Journey to the Dark Ⅱ” is a digital video that uses urban architecture as a brush and the layered mountains of Song-dynasty landscape painting as a compositional blueprint. It can thus be considered a contemporary extension of traditional Chinese painting. From afar, the work appears tranquil and quiet, with only a vague suggestion of movement. As the viewer approaches, everything in the video reveals itself to be moving, growing, and transforming. Urban development not only nourishes a city but also raises some objective questions. Whereas the ancients expressed their appreciation for nature in landscape painting, Yang Yongliang’s contemporary landscape provokes reflection on the state of contemporary society. The monumental high-resolution panoramic screen in the MGM COTAI theater perfectly renders the near-infinite details in “Journey to the Dark Ⅱ”, enveloping the viewer like a dome and engendering an unprecedented immersive visual experience.