In his art, Yang Maoyuan has always pursued some form of the nonexchangeable, the unexplainable, the unclassifiable, that which cannot be placed into the existing system of artistic discourse and meaning. In other words, he is seeking out absolute heterogeneity. This pursuit may be rooted in his early experiences in the Gobi Desert, but the specific region of the Gobi has long ago been elevated into a presence beyond the system of everyday experience, a symbol of that which is alien.

Heterogeneity is a form of existence that cannot be encompassed in the system of society or be systematized in any way. This is precisely what lies at the core of avant-garde art, but for Yang Maoyuan, this is a heterogeneity of an ontological nature, rather than temporal discrepancy or political difference. His work is a process of pursuing or probing this heterogeneity. He references then removes context, reveals then conceals background, until that presence which cannot be restored emerges to be seen. What emerges from these shapes, masses, colors, materials or objects is always a primal form.