IN HOPE FOR SOME SUNSHINE MY JOURNEY AS AN ARTIST Anko Chang
www.ankochang.com All artwork © 2019 Anko Chang Photography & book design by Brian Xiao Design Printed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
There is never creation without destruction. Nothing can be new without something becoming old. Chapter 1: Identity Anko, 2006
In my path as an artist, I have destroyed myself with each reinvention. My early artworks have been representations of my own journey to selfdiscovery as a Taiwanese with an exclusively Western education. Despite growing up as in the countryside of Taiwan, I studied in an American School located in Kaohsiung, and then UCLA (where both school’s curriculum is of western culture). I felt unable to fit in with true Eastern traditions.
I lived in a deconstructive state of contradiction and ambiguity. For example, in my work Divine Harmony, feng shui and Chinese ink painting style from the Eastern culture is remixed with Western oil color onto a
Right:
canvas. Most of my works are deep personal process of humanity and
The Divine Harmony
nature of cultures crossing as time progresses. This kind of cross-exAnko, 2016
amination further generates my remix of Chinese tradition by bringing
Oil on Glass Tile and Mirror
concepts or materials.
30 x 30 x 1 Inches October 2017
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The Persistence of Culture
Story of Formosa
Mixed Media on Canvas
24K Gold Leaf and Oil on Canvas
20 x 42 Inches
4 x 5 Feet
March 2016
March 2017
I’ve always had interest in the mind and its ability
Award of Excellence, Taiwan National Exhibition Com-
to create suspended states of awareness through
mittee for the Arts Painting Competition
interaction with reality or manufactured reality. I create representations of myself in a state of ambiguity
The painting portrays Taiwan through its history from
growing up as a Taiwanese, though lacking clear iden-
Dutch occupation, the Eastern Ning dynasty, the Qing
tity of a “traditional” Taiwanese amongst society.
dynasty, all the way to the fall of the imperial government and the transition to democracy. The painting
The constitution of my own cultural identity is as the
uses a surrealist, whimsical style to tell the story of
persistence of a fading memory; ink and paint on can-
the lively attitudes and cheerfulness of the people on
vas melting away until all that is left is ambivalence
the small little island and portrays how many differ-
and confusion.
ent cultures and backgrounds can come and move forward together to become a leader in both agricul-
Modernism has scrapped what little remains of
ture, science, and technology.
our past. Buildings of our history are slowly being replaced due to overpopulation and urbanization.
Through this spirit, Taiwan can continue on making
Places that made up the fabric of our collective sto-
wonderful progress, like how a plum blossom (the
ries, remain only a memory.
national flower of Taiwan) blooms in winter.
Right: T.ildeathdouspart 23.75 x 17.75 Inches Oil and Shellac on Canvas October 2017 “Like flies to honey� is a Taiwanese saying describing schoolboys lusting after the opposite gender. A woman is indeed like a fragrant flower, and a carnivorous one at that; and the man, a fly. But in this case, death is not necessarily a bad thing; death is rebirth. Through commitment, we leave our old selves behind and become two new symbiotic selves together.
After finding love, my views of identity were again undone. As I learned to navigate the complexities of creating a life with someone else, I further examined topics of dualities and opposites. Chapter 2: Transformation I changed to further expand on social and political entities that delves with the ties between genders and taboos. Inspired by Joel-Peter Witkin, I developed a fondness for depicting vulgar concepts into something beautiful. From a distance, Eternal creates a sense of comfort through the calm visualization of a Koi lotus pond, but discomfort upon closer inspection as the viewer discovers a penis and vagina chasing each other for eternity.
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Red Moon’s Call
Love Is A Four Letter Word
Oil on Canvas
Oil on Canvas
24 x 20 Inches
24.5 x 36 Inches
July 2017
November 2017
According to Taoist tradition, on the eve of the Gods,
The formal qualities describe the nature of difficulty
the night of the red moon, roles are carried out by
in a relationship. Partners often question what is real,
male dancers with painted faces symbolizing trans-
or what is right. The composition also shows a rever-
mutation and change. Females are excluded
sal of the traditional treatments of gender in Western
from this tradition due to the so-called impurity of
art. Instead of the woman’s body on display, it is the
their menstruation.
man’s. The inclusion of a pig’s head evokes similar imagery from Lord of the Flies, expressing a criticism of
This painting portrays a reversal of this, a female
primitivism. The apple symbolizes a loss of innocence.
painting her face, about to accept her divine transformation on the night of red moon, in defiance
Symbols of gender dominance are also juxtaposed:
of social customs. The aesthetic is also a reversal of
while man may be in a submissive position, he is
traditional Chinese painting, with white on black
holding a white lily (the woman’s virginity). The
instead. I hope to express a sense of empowerment
woman is holding grapes in her hand, emasculating
for women in conservative cultures to not be held
the man.
back by the old ways, and transmute themselves, under the red moon.
The table is laden with Chinese food, some phallic in form. To Eastern people, dining together represents not only intimacy but family bond. However, the nakedness of the body on the table turns that idea on its head by appearing uncomfortable, almost perverse.
Right: Deflower Oil on Metal and Mirror 27 x 27 x 2.5 Inches November 2017 Human beings are born good. It is in our nature to love and care about one another. However, when we begin to love things over people, when the materials we own end up owning us, that we lose our innocence. Young women often become focused on the pursuit of luxury, forgetting their innocence. Sometimes they might sacrifice their body or integrity for that lifestyle. Few people will admit to this behavior; most are guilty of it. Here, viewers can quietly reflect upon themselves as the fractured mirror pieces reflect on them.
Left: The Divine Harmony Oil on Glass Tile and Mirror 30 x 30 x 1 Inches October 2017 Man and woman, existing in perfect harmony, is a difficult yin and yang dynamic. In the past, men have often dominated women in many societies. However, in modern times, human are finding more balance and equality. Following the ying and the yang, in keeping with fengshui dynamics to create harmony, the man faces south and the female faces north. Together they find their own form of purity, represented by a lotus flower. To see this delicate balance in relationship is true reflection of our inner selves.
Previous page: Conquest Mixed Media on Canvas 20 x 42 Inches December, 2017 A clash of genders and a clash of cultures. The phallic characters on the right are dressed as Western monks. The vulvic characters are dressed as concubines. Having monks depicted as phallic characters infers that inside a facade of purity, are still impure thoughts. The vulvic personas devouring their counterparts symbolize that females can be dominant even from a place of submission. Throughout history Western conquerors proclaim foreign lands their own, in the name of Christianity. In additional, the color of the background subtly brings up the modern phrase Yellow Fever — a term usually applied to white males who have a clear sexual preference for Asian women. This dichotomy is not only genders, geography, but ideas first depicted as war. It is hard to tell who is winning, who subjugates who. But sexual activity is not a battle. When opposites come together, perhaps it is not for destruction, but procreation.
Not long ago, I found change and reinvention again in the unlikeliest of places.
Chapter 3: ReBirth Working at Pittsburgh’s contemporary art museum and getting involved with the flourishing technological scene has instilled in me a new mission as an artist. Seeing bleeding edge concepts daily, I felt displaced in time, an anachronism. Exposed to a new way of life, I became a futurist with antique toolsets. I see art and fine design disrupted from being sovereign entities viewed or awed upon. In fact, I believe in a continuum with rapid technological advancements, the media that will go beyond the painter’s craft is nonetheless, technology. With social media and technological evolution, the world will quickly become a four-dimensional experience. Right: String Theory Oil on wood panel, Aurasma augmented reality platform 16 in x 12 in December, 2018
In Money We Trust Part 1: Destruction Ink on paper, chrome plated plastic orb 25 x 38 in August, 2018 Right: In the course of human history, currency has shifted
Creating an alternate universe for art, Metzinger’s
“THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO
from precious metals to fiat (paper). This past century
command of formal principles of surface fragmen-
BE CHRISTOPHER WOOL
has seen a further shift from physical currency to
tation and plane of shape led me to ponder on the
BUT I FUCKED IT UP”
systems of credit and debt. At its core, this intangible
reality of space. In it, I presented this piece as “du
system is based all on our trust in each other. Now,
spherism” by reflecting the true flat world of a dis-
money is not gold, but trust.
torted and incomprehensible drawing, and making a reality through the puzzled globe. Only with this
However, trust can be manipulated. It can be made
globe positioned in the certain position and imagi-
fiction. It can be distorted. Trust can be created just as
nation piecing together the puzzle can this world
it can become destroyed.
be represented coherence.
Art has told a parallel story to economy. Painting
Like this illustration, we have become a society
has never been without identifications of value and
that gives meaning and definition to the absurd.
worth. Just as money only has value when it flows,
Christopher Wool uses hand-drawn monospaced
paintings gain value when collected and resold. In
lettering to subvert commercial ideals by, as if given
many ways, art has been as much an intangible con-
by guidelines to the border of a stencil. This idea of
struct as economic systems.
trying to make it look like Christopher Wool, yet still
In Money We Trust (Triptych)
unlike one due to the spacing, I strongly fucked up
In the course of human history, currency has shifted from precious met-
this mimic up.
als to fiat (paper). This past century has seen a further shift from physi-
How reliable is the trust we place in our own inner value systems? cal currency to systems of credit and debt. At its core, this intangible
The first piece created for In Money We Trust series, Just Buy it Already depicts Christopher Wool repre-
The piece also involves the audience taking out their
system is based all on our trust in each other. Now, money is not gold,
senting one aspect of the manipulation of trust. If we
phone and trying to inspect on the things reflec-
but trust. However, trust can be manipulated. It can be made fiction. It
use currency as a measurement for value itself, Chris-
tions on the globe. Sadly, the more money you have
can be distorted. Trust can be created just as it can become destroyed.
topher Wool may be the most valuable artist, having
to buy a better phone with a better camera, the
sold one of the highest priced paintings by living art-
more you can see. For example the words inscribed
Art has told a parallel story to economy. Painting has never been without
ist in this contemporary world.
on the dollar bill: In Money we Trust.”
identifications of value and worth. Just as money only has value when it flows, paintings gain value when collected and resold. In many ways, art has been as much an intangible construct as economic systems.
In Money We Trust Part 2: Fiction Oil, metal, currency, glass, and linen on wood 22 1/4 x 20 1/8 in September, 2018 Fictions can be found in the space between creation and destruction. When it comes to the fictions in the construct of art, Jasper Johns may be its symbol in the contemporary world. Through semiotic play of seen and unseen factors of life objects, Johns shows us that it is our human touch that imbues value to objects. In other words, it is through certain fictions that we create value. Despite the rise of other powers like China, the US dollar is still believed to be the strongest and most valuable currency in the world. Painting, like paper currency, is nothing more than a symbol of worth. Without symbols of identification, money is simply inked cotton linen paper. As the creator of one of the most expensive paintings ever sold, Flag, which is also a symbol of patriotism, Jasper Johns is almost as a patron saint of belief and prayers in the name of value. Without an artist’s name, or a demand for the work, a painting is no more than colors on a surface. Art may be a higher truth, but its value in the market is only fiction.
It is
through certain
fictions
that we create value.
In Money We Trust: Creation Oil, acrylic, ink, and American currency on glass 14 1/2 x 11 in October, 2018 At the beginning is creation, and at the end may not
In pop art, works have acted almost as facsimiles by
be destruction, but re-creation. As we have ventured
including symbols such as Andy Warhol’s silkscreens
into an era where art has become self referential, it
of Marilyn Monroe or Marcel Duchamp’s readymade
may be appropriate to look into the past.
of the Mona Lisa. These works have borrowed these symbols not only as a vehicle of expression, but as a
In ancient times, there have always been theories of
giver of value. In many cases, the facsimile may obtain
creation, as well as debates regarding whether the
more value than the original.
Earth is round or flat. In modern day, it is generally accepted by science that the earth is round. However, a
Are there certain symbols in our cultural memory that
new theory has emerged that the universe is simply a
automatically imbue value to their facsimiles? Does
two-dimensional hologram that we as human beings
a reference to an old master accord worth into new
interpret as three dimension.
works? Is there still value in being an original as opposed to a counterfeit?
Therefore, I present this portraiture of Da Vinci by combining panels of glass to create a layered dimensioned anachronism from a time when art was not self-referential, but a facsimile of the world and its symbolic figures.
Lately, my works investigate motifs of obsolescence. With such great strides in so-called progress that our society has made in recent years, what happens to those of us who become obsolete? In our struggles for creation, have we made ourselves the targets of destruction? Or worse, our values systems? In Return on Invested Capital, I portray the educational system as a bleak sewer. This is no exaggeration of reality. As technologies advance in this postmillennial era has made knowledge free, institutions grow further out of touch. Furthermore, hyperinflation has plagued degrees and skills. Is education itself facing extinction? As a system designed to create workers during the first industrial revolution, institutional practices for education lose relevance in this postindustrial age. Right: Return on Invested Capital Oil on wood panel 33 3/4 x 30 in November, 2018
With such great strides in so-
called progress
that our society has made in
recent years,
what happens to those of us who become obsolete?
Return on Invested Capital Oil on wood panel 33 3/4 x 30 in November, 2018 This piece talks about the problem of education in the world today pertaining but not limited to art majors. Growing up in the so called “millennial” world, we are taught to believe education is everything. You study, you get a good grade, you get a good job. Is that still the case? Graduating from UCLA and looking for work, I realized a degree no longer guarantees a job. In fact, people around me seem to be a master’s / phd candidate. Volunteering at the Mattress Factory Museum, I realize many of my peers working as shop attendant pertains a masters degree. Yet there are people like Jack Mac, rejected by Harvard 10 times, becoming China’s richest person. Yet education is so expensive. So many students graduate with these degrees, yet still cannot find work.
To do what others do
will only make
you a follower,
but innovating may also risk nobody
believing in you. Right: In Hope for Some Sunshine Oil on wood panel 16 in x 20 in July, 2018
In Hope for Some Sunshine Oil on wood panel 16 in x 20 in July, 2018 As an artist in this world, we often question our own roles in society. When will it be the day we can feel like we “made it�? Or even what happens to our work after we die? Where do we belong? A lot of people say artist only become famous after they die. But the truth is most of the time that doesn’t happen. We are as munchkins scattering in the rain to find a niche to belong in. Some artists find themselves under the shelter of well known institutions, while others are still out in the rain searching for their own sanctuaries. These characters are protected under their vibrant umbrellas; however, what protects them also obscures their vision as they stumble through this harsh terrain. Unfortunately, some get trampled over, broken, outdated, like a corpse left in the harsh terrain to rot. This world is not easy for most creatives because there is no direct formula or guideline to successful. To do what others do will only make you a follower, but innovating may also risk nobody believing in you.
One variable
still stays organic: the concept of human will
and self-worth is the single
variable that can never be truly mechanized, digitized, or quantified.
Initial Public Offering Artist’s blood, ink, glass, and metal on wood panel 18 x 24 in December, 2018 As microchips become smaller and the lines between technology and humanity become blurred, are we truly exceptional, as artists? Will there come a day in which we must quantify our actions, our worth, and our very sense of self in order to survive in a data driven environment? In this piece, I present our environment as a universe unto itself, with galaxies and orbits of ideologies, artists, collectives. It is flat because this is what we have always been, and will be, after the collapse of our current stage of technology. We, and our values, can perhaps be reduced to flat, cartesian projections of data points against a quantified, market driven world. However, one variable still stays organic: the concept of human will and self-worth, painted in blood on glass. It is the single variable that can never be truly mechanized, digitized, or quantified.
The Art is dead, long live the Art. In 1996 Arthur Danto described the “end” of art; in becoming self-referential, art has no more directions in which to progress. He was convinced of this partly by Andy Warhol. In creating sculptures of Brillo boxes identical to the real thing, Warhol had aligned art with reality. In his creation, Warhol has also performed an act of destruction to the very definition of art. Likewise, this year Christie’s has made history by selling a work of art made by an artificial intelligence. Has creation itself also become obsolete? Will we as artists go the way of the dinosaur? Art has ended, yet again. The Art is dead, long live the Art. The revival of art for this “post-metamodernist” period should step out of self-reflection or reflection and channel to objects from the spectrum of function follow form (not “form follow function”). Upon my research, I will build upon my reflections of obsolescence. I seek to explore what art and artists can be after the end of contemporary art. Then, after we have destroyed art, it can be time for us together to create it again.
The reactions
of the dogs are as avatars of internet
commenters: some may
encourage this violence,
others deeply disturbed
The Spectators Oil on Canvas 4 ft x 5 ft August, 2018 Through role reversal, this painting calls out the loss in empathy and desensitization caused by internet and social media. Furthermore, the painting also alludes to controversial news about Guggenheim being forced to take down Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other by Peng Yu and Sun Yuan an artwork that analyzes dynamics of dominance and submission. The reactions of the dogs in the painting are as avatars of internet commenters: some may encourage this violence, others may be deeply disturbed by it. The humans depicted have lost their humanity and identity under pressure and duress. Internet slang words LOL and WTF juxtaposed over this scene of violence bring an almost absurd black humor to it, subverting the seriousness of the event. These words “erase� parts of the painting, showing an alpha channel underneath. Is it one-dimensional, as layer of pixels in photoshop? Does that even matter?
Left: Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other Sun Yuan & Peng Yu
As our information controls us, who is actually the puppet? The human or the machine?
String Theory Oil on wood panel, Aurasma augmented reality platform 16 in x 12 in December, 2018 Now at the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution, we have created technology such as artificial neural networks, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in order to do our bidding. To create these automations, these puppets to do our work and make our lives easier, we feed them our information and our data to give them knowledge to learn and grow. However, is this price too great? In recent years, events such as Facebook’s experimentation on users’ emotions and the social media hacking of the 2016 election by Russia have shown us just how malleable our own memories and emotions can be. Our reality is not our own anymore. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, recently said that “our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency”; that these little bits of information collected from us is creating a world in which companies and their machines know us even better than we know ourselves. Left: String Theory
Now we live in a world where data has become ammuni-
Machine Perspective
tion in a war against ourselves, from changing our decision and opinions to even changing our thoughts, and one day
Right:
even performing a kind of mind control on us. As our infor-
String Theory
mation controls us, who is actually the puppet? The human
Human Perspective
or the machine?
Despite being a multidisciplinary artist, I choose to continue my research through painting because, from caves to graffiti, the act of painting is still the most genuine, humanistic gesture and timeless form of art.
www.ankochang.com All work Š 2019 Anko Chang. Please do not reproduce without the written consent of Anko Chang.