Born in 1979 in Shenyang, northeast of Beijing, You began painting at a very young age, eventually studying at the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in his native city. Today he is best known for his highly-saturated canvases which are a riot of near-psychedelic colour and line. He is fascinated by the ever-changing urban environment, and the seemingly endless possibilities that cities seem to suggest. Accordingly, his works often contain numerous perspectives — leaving the viewer with the impression of looking in many directions at once. ‘Our eyes have a limited visual field, so I may combine the back, front, upward or downward perspectives to form a composition,’ the artist explains. ‘I am drawn to architectural elements such as spiral or straight staircases,’ which, he has said, ‘express the heights or depths of human life.’