Edge of Sea and Sky: Yeh Shih-Chiang’s Ethereal Art

Description

Calligrapher and painter Yeh Shih-Chiang settled in Taiwan in 1949 after first visiting the island as an art student from Guangzhou. Refusing to simply follow the constricting ideology of Western post-war modernism and averse to being trapped within the confines of the national guohua painting style,  Yeh found his solution in a return to the pure and eternal realm of art. Taking elements he found compelling from both modern and traditional languages, he developed his own painting practice. His strong, iconoclastic personality and his solitary nature fuelled his ability to break the rules and create his own artistic path.

According to Hanart TZ Gallery founder Chang Tsong-zung, when looking at Yeh Shih-Chiang’ paintings, it seems like he was able to “catch a glimpse of the eternal within the simplest patterns, as his compositions overflow all boundaries into the endless”.

The exhibition will be companioned by a musical performance entitled ‘Who Awakens from the Dream First’ on 25 March 2019, Monday, and 26 March 2019 Tuesday, which is taken from a late work of calligraphy by Yeh. The performance is a soundscape responding to the special energy and texture found in Yeh’s works. In addition to live performance, it includes fragments of a recording of the classic guqin piece ‘Flowing Water’, performed by the famed musician Guan Pinghu (1897-1967). (This is the same recording included in the Golden Record LP of music from around the world, carried into outer space by Voyager 1 in 1977). Its inclusion here is a tribute to Yeh, who was also a master guqin craftsman and player.