Yahon Chang - Hatje Cantz

A minimalist two-page spread of a book's table of contents. The left page, titled Contents, lists a quote, foreword, preface, and several essays. The right page lists sections for PLATES, INSTALLATIONS & PERFORMANCES, Biography, Timeline, and Names and Terms, with corresponding page numbers. The layout is clean with ample white space.

A two-page book spread. The left page features a quote by Antony Gormley and a small photo of numerous ink brushes of various sizes. The right page shows a large photo of an older Asian artist, barefoot in a white shirt and blue pants, using a very large brush to paint bold, black, abstract strokes onto a massive white canvas laid across the floor.

A two-page spread from a publication about the artist Yahon Chang. The left page features an article titled The Flow of Ink—The Flow of Time. The right page displays four photos of an artist, seen from the waist down and barefoot, creating large, abstract black ink strokes on a white surface on the floor with a long-handled brush.

An open art book displaying two paintings on facing pages. On the left is a textured, charcoal-style painting of a black cat. On the right is an expressive, black ink wash painting showing the silhouette of a sitting dog.

An open art book displays two dark, abstract oil paintings on adjacent pages. Both pieces feature heavily textured, shadowy figures rendered in thick black and brown paint. The painting on the left is titled Repose, and the one on the right, which is signed, is titled Prayer Repose.

A two-page spread from a book, displaying two black and white expressionist paintings of gaunt human figures. The painting on the left is dark and heavily textured, showing a figure with a beard looking upwards. The painting on the right features a thin, hunched figure with large eyes on a light, speckled background.

An open art book displays two pages of expressionist portraits. On the left page, a grid of four paintings shows close-up faces in bold, somber colors: one blue, one purple, one red, and one dark green. On the right page, a single large, abstract portrait is rendered in energetic, gestural strokes of black, grey, and brown ink wash.

A two-page spread in an art book showing a large, abstract diptych titled I am the light of the world. The artwork consists of two tall, vertical panels of black ink on paper. The style is expressive and gestural, featuring swirling brushstrokes, dark washes, and splatters that create a fluid composition in shades of grey and deep black against the white paper.

A two-page spread from an art book displays two abstract paintings. On the left, an artwork titled Loess Plateau features a textured, earthy orange shape on a dark background. On the right, an artwork titled Blue Silhouette shows a solid, vibrant blue form, also on a dark background.

An open art book displays a two-page spread with two vertical abstract paintings. The painting on the left, titled Dream Land, features a fluid, marbled composition with vibrant swirls of red, blue, yellow, and green. The painting on the right, Mount Huang in Spring, is a textured, layered piece primarily in shades of green, teal, and yellow.

An open art book displays two abstract paintings on facing pages. On the left, a tall piece titled Dance features dynamic, vertical black ink brushstrokes on light paper. On the right, a wider piece titled The Almighty shows a complex, explosive mass of black ink strokes and splatters.

An open art book displays two abstract black-and-white paintings on facing pages. The left painting features textured, swirling black brushstrokes. The right painting consists of bold, solid black shapes with rounded tops and intersecting forms that create small, triangular negative spaces.

A two-page book spread showing an art installation from Performa 19 in New York. In a white gallery space, several large vertical banners and a long horizontal scroll on the floor are covered with expressive, large-scale black ink calligraphy. The spread includes descriptive text and smaller inset photos of the installation.

A two-page spread from a publication about the art performance Ode to Life in Taipei, Taiwan. The layout features text and several photos documenting an artist creating a large-scale abstract painting with black ink on a white canvas on the floor. The artist uses a long-handled brush and a bucket. Other images show a wide view of the performance with an audience and the finished multi-panel artwork displayed vertically.

Yahon Chang

Painting as Performance

€ 78.00

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Edited by: Britta Erickson, Nadine Barth

April 2023, 320 Pages, 370 Photos

Linen Hardcover

292mm x 294mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-4919-0

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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| Chinese Calligraphy Meets Western Performance

In his paintings the Taiwanese artist Yahon Chang brings together traditional Chinese ink-wash painting and Western forms of artistic expression to produce a synthesis of East and West. Typically standing on large sheets of linen or Xuan paper and wielding a brush almost as long as he is tall, Chang creates works imbued with performative energy and characterized by large, sweeping brushstrokes. Drawing on Chinese literati and Zen (Chan) Buddhist traditions, the artist understands painting as an activity that connects body and mind. His entire body functions as an axis for these expressive paintings and is influenced by his training in calligraphy. This publication offers the first insight into the artist's extensive oeuvre and includes exhibition views as well as accompanying texts.

YAHON CHANG (*1948) began his first calligraphy and painting lessons at the age of six and later studied at the National Taiwan Univerity of Arts (1976) and the Taipei Univeristy of the Arts (2009). Having launched his career in Asia, he has also exhibited in Europe and the USA since the early 2000s.