When you visit this haunting exhibit in the Installation Gallery, be prepared to stay a while. These mysterious images will capture your fancy, and close inspection will lure you into puzzling over the artist’s technique and musing over his intentions.

At first glance you will be struck by the delicate, almost fragile images that seem like a contemporary incarnation of traditional Chinese scroll paintings. But as you focus on the details, you’ll realize the works are actually photo montages, the mountains are actually layer upon layer of skyscrapers, the forests are actually near endless repetitions of high voltage transmission towers. Yang Yonglaing, born in 1980, is a member of the generation of young Chinese artists who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary art in a culture imbued with ancient customs. He lives in Shanghai and studied in Hong Kong, but his vision is international and his technique is of the moment. He employs cameras and computers for his work, not paints and brushes. This is his first solo exhibition in the United States.

Consider, first, the scroll on your right as you enter the gallery. An ancient Chinese scroll would not show itself all at once; its story would unfold gradually as one end opened slowly and the other closed, revealing a story in its imagery. This scroll is fully realized and held in place with a plexiglass sheet. Its title is On the Quiet Water; Underwater Paradise. What an enigma! Lots of water, of course, but mountains too, and cities, towns. The focal point is a group of circular mechanical devices. Is this an amusement park? No, these are not ferris wheels, but almost. So much is happening here, even a dirigible is sinking in the bay. And yet, despite its diverse elements and its energy, the effect is serene. Perhaps that’s because of those mechanical circles, to which our eye keeps returning, reminding us of the infinity of time, with neither beginning nor end.

Look closely at the “Heavenly Cities” series, exploding spirals of skyscrapers, construction cranes and freeways, depicting the seeming frenzy of growth and expansion modern China is experiencing. These are tornadoes, whirlpools, each a sublime vortex threatening to draw the viewer into some industrial hell. Adjacent to these strong, scary images are Snow Cities, calm landscapes where activity is suppressed under a cool blanket of snow.

I love this whole exhibit, and after an extended hour of docent training class, I returned for another hour just to be alone with these lovely works. My favorites are the two photo montages called “Viridescence #3” and “Viridescence: Stock Market.” Here again are those mountain ranges of skyscrapers, those forests of steel transmission pylons. But these are not just black and white; they have tints of coppery green, hence their titles.

The image on the left is not created from photos of a Chinese city, but of New York, the powerful financial center of the world. You can even make out the distinctive dome of the Chrysler Building and the Statue of Liberty. In the upper right-hand corner is a graph depicting the course of the NYSE, the Nasdaq and the S&P500 over the past few years. Adjacent to that is another graph, presumably of the Shanghai market. Each shows the ominous fall in value the financial markets have recently endured. And the mountains tumble in concert with the graphs -- an exquisite composition prompting the viewer to consider, perhaps, the artist’s deeper intentions.

Each of these works bears the traditional stamp of the artist printed in brilliant vermillion. They also bear a colophon, a column in Chinese characters, providing production information on the work.

Don’t miss this. The exhibit will remain on display until Sept. 12, plenty of time to visit and revisit. You’ll treasure it’s fresh perspective and gain new insight into a culture we often find incomprehensible.