Ding Yi

Ding Yi (born 1962, Shanghai) is a Chinese contemporary artist internationally recognized for his systematic, decades-long exploration of the cross (+) and X marks as his primary visual motifs, applied in meticulous grid formations across canvas, paper, and tartan cloth. Since 1988, he has developed his signature 'Appearance of Crosses' series, using these geometric symbols to investigate pure abstraction, repetition, and the limits of painting free from political or narrative content. He is considered one of China's most important abstract painters and a pioneering figure in Shanghai's contemporary art scene.