Artists just like their parents

A group of young artists, including (from left to right) Shen Cai, Hu Bao, Edie Xu, Sun Manong, Hu Bei, Jin Xiaorao and Yin Yiyang, continue the legacy of their parents, who are artists themselves. [Photo provided to China Daily]

An ongoing exhibition shows works by creative giants' children. Deng Zhangyu reports.

Like father, like son.

Indeed, sculptor Yin Gang's legacy has shaped his boy, who's following in his dad's footsteps.

Yin Yiyang's recently completed 3-D-printed sculpture, Nike, is on display in a group show in Beijing featuring works by established artists' children.

It's the first time the 19-year-old has presented his work publicly. He hopes it's a steppingstone to an art career like his father's.

He 3-D printed parts of Nike shoe replicas, which he arranged to create a statue of the Greek victory goddess.

"I've thought it'd be cool to be a sculptor since kindergarten," he says.

He played in his dad's studio as a kid. He was always surrounded by art and visited museums when he was young, at a time when it was rare for children.

Yin Yiyang is in his second year at the printmaking department of Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, one of China's leading art colleges, where his father is a professor.

"My father doesn't make requests about what I should learn and who I should be," he says.

"I chose art on my own."

He's interested in mixed media and incorporating new materials. His dad is known for working with metal, especially bronze.