Makings by Ode To Art

Makings L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

Makings L I N G YA N G C H A N G

L E I S U R E R E A D I N G , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

‘Makings’ is inspired by the notion of national identity. This series plunges headfirst into the exploration of the genetic makeup of Singapore and Malaysia. More than a discovery or reinterpretation of physical space and architectural features, ‘Makings’ attempts to make sense of the dichotic tension of immense diversity and common ground. Amidst the subtle interaction of people and place, one can detect faint traces of an undercurrent that runs unabated and unashamed—the heartbeat of a nation. L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

R E D D O O R S , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

H A R M O N I O U S C I T Y, 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

Foreword Few things in the world can capture beauty like ink can. In a single stroke, with every line of every brush hair, with every transient blend of colour into paper, there is history, there is practice, discipline, tribute, pragmatism, imagination, and of course, expression; there is always expression. So often depicted in pristine black and white, ink is astounding in its inherent iridescence. Centuries ago, our ancient forefathers created images from the grindings of an ink stone and today, in our modern understanding of Art, beauty and expression, the medium stands as exalted as it stood then. What is it about ink that makes it so timeless in its allure, so fluid in its meaning? Maybe it is the human connection to the line- the overarching base of measure where words find form, where every artist starts his new journey of creativity; or maybe it is the catharsis of creating from nothing, with vacant positive space laid bare alongside the stroke, exposing the very begin-nings of creation. To some artists, ink may be a symbol of creation. For Ling Yang Chang, ink defines his makings. Born in 1963 in Singapore, Ling Yang Chang’s art is an eclectic blend of culture and history. Channelling his deep devotion for Chinese history and Art, he not only practices the rich heritage of tradition but blends seamlessly into a modern telling of stark expression. Echoing the tenants of ink wash painting, Yang Chang’s imagination takes flight, capturing feeling beyond all else and yet, mastering the precision of stroke. Weaving poetry into both image and literal song, the bilingual nature of his artistic leanings is one of his most prominent signatures. Be it the philosophy of his astute calligraphy writings, or the Western perspective of figurative subjec — the dualism of his works resonate the depth with which he connects to his art form, mimicking his own identification with Old and New, East and West. Diversifying his skill into a range of subjects, he shuffles between coloured landscapes and monochrome contrast with ease, exhibiting mastery over his form and the unbridled creativity that defines every artist. The interpretation of his Art is directed by his brush and yet, one can follow his meaning and suddenly feel lifted — dispersed into thought, just as the brush that lifts from its canvas. Makings is just as much Ling Yang Chang’s journey into his own Art, as it is an exploration of what makes him an artist. From snapshots of the home he grew up in to forgotten cities, from traditional ink wash figures to western nudes — Yang Chang leaves nothing behind. Filling vulnerable spaces with poetry from his most philosophical depths, he wishes to immerse the viewer into the transcendence that is ink and the complexity that is expression, ultimately allowing them to derive meaning from whichever facet of his language that may speak to them. Through these works, I invite you to not only experience an artist, his language and his form, but to evaluate the emergence of black from white, the progression of shade to colour, and the unwavering line to the fluid stroke. Through these works, I invite you to celebrate ink; and all the hidden secrets of creation it may hold. Jazz Chong Director Ode to Art

MAKINGS

S H O P H O U S E B U S T L E , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

N A R R OW S T R E E T, 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

What can Ling Yang Chang’s Art Tell Us About Visual Images? YOW S I E W K A H

In the last twenty years or so, a great number of teachers and education researchers have shown an interest in the study of visual images. For them, a phenomenon called “pictorial turn” had occurred some time in the 20th-century. Their thinking goes something like this: people from earlier historical periods tended to learn about the world in words, acquiring knowledge primarily by reading printed texts. This changed in our era. Due to an explosive growth in what we think of as visual media, which include advertising posters, graphic novels and online videos, we are now inclined to understand the world through visual images. This view has strong implications for teaching and learning: if we accept that visual images play a large part in how we see the world, we need to understand how they work. Education institutions have responded by making the visual image an object of study. The inquiries take place at various levels of the education hierarchy. University departments, variously named “visual culture” and “visual studies”, have been set up. Teachers in primary and secondary schools have started to talk about “visual literacy”. The questions they ask include: is it possible to think of the “visual” as a kind of language, with its own rules of usage? To what extent is this “language” similar to, say, English, Malay or Chinese? Is it possible for students to acquire proficiency in this language by looking at picture, thought by some to be similar to reading, and by creating them, thought by some to be similar to writing? Educators and scholars cannot agree on the answers to these questions. Some of them also cannot agree if these are even the right questions to ask. However, these inquiries have important consequences for the teaching and learning of art. James Elkins, an art historian whose research includes the history of visual images, has argued that despite the widely held view that visual images play an important role in education, written and verbal texts still dominate the classroom in communicating knowledge. Of course, pictures of various kinds are used to teach subjects ranging from geography to chemistry. But we know little about how they work. To an extent, art is the only subject taught in school that involves an extensive interaction with visual images. Not only do students learn how to look at art, they also learn how to make it, receiving instructions on the expressive potential of the different kinds of lines, shapes and colours. It is therefore not surprising art has been looked at with increasing seriousness in schools. There appears to be a greater awareness that art lessons are not just about taking a break from the more “serious” subjects like science and mathematics, but have to do with knowledge acquisition in a fundamental way. So far, we have seen that some educators and researchers think that it is important to include a component on visual images in the education curricula, and that art can be a part of that

MAKINGS

component. Now, we need to ask: what do we hope that students can learn about the “visual” by studying art? Ling Yang Chang paintings are examples of art. They can be included in lessons on appreciating and creating modern Chinese paintings. The artworks are also visual images, which means that they can be used in lessons on visual studies or visual literacy. But what can they tell us about the “visual”? W. J. T. Mitchell, a scholar who writes on both literature and art history, argues that an important issues to be stressed in a course on visual images is that there is no visual media. For him, all the media that we consider visual, such as advertising posters and online videos, communicate information by appealing not just to our visual faculties: they also engage our other sensory organs. They are “mixed media”, and we interact with them in ways that are far more complex than just using our eyes. Thus, a teacher, in a lesson on visual images, needs to dispel the myth that the music videos that we watch, the graphic novels that we read, the advertisements that we see at bus stops and train stations, and the paintings that we see in museums, are purely “visual”. Ling Yang Chang’s paintings can be included in a course on the visual images for this purpose. One of the most noticeable features of Ling’s artworks is their brushwork. Like most traditional Chinese paintings, the art is not “realistic” in an optical sense. It is unlike the paintings of Caravaggio or Vermeer, which uses a combination of linear perspective and modulated colours to create an illusion of a re-appearance of an event. It does not strive to produce complete likeness of the subject matter. Instead, it pays attention to brush play. There is a wide variety of brushstrokes, each giving the observer an idea of the kind of hand and arm movements that the artist did to produce it. Looking at the brushwork, the viewer can imagine what it is like to be in Ling’s place, dipping the brush in ink, and moving it across the surface of the paper in a certain manner. The sensation is as much about movement and tactile qualities as it is about the visual. We can say something similar about another important feature of Ling’s paintings: the red imprints of the seals. Like the brushstrokes, these also show the presence of the artist’s hand. The observer can conjure up an image of the artist picking up the seal, his figures against the cold hard surface of the stone; he places the carved end of the object on an inkpad, experiencing what it feels like to apply pressure on the soft surface, and how the sensation is different when the inked seal is pressed against the paper. He or she can also imagine how the artist carved the seal, putting the chisel against the stone, repeatedly moving his fingers to form a depression. For the observer, looking at the paintings is not just about engaging them visually. Ling’s artworks further complicate the idea of the “visual” by the inclusion of words, which work with the pictures to communicate meanings. There is a substantial body of scholarship on the relationship between words and images in painting and other so-called visual media. But as saw earlier, there is no visual media in a simple sense. Many of them rely on words, spoken or written. Paintings are examples of this kind of “mixed media”: European history paintings rely on historical records or the Bible to give them meanings, and modernist paintings depend on theory, which are expressed in words. In China, words are often integral parts of a painting. The written texts can give meanings to the images, or images may be created to illustrate the narratives that they bear, or the two may have little to do with each other. Words may exist independently of the images, or — like in some of Ling’s paintings — they are part of how the artwork is composed. We tend to consider words as inscriptions, and their sole purpose is to communicate meanings.

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

But as we see in Ling’s paintings, the written texts, created with the same material as the images, also have visual and tactile qualities. Thus, it is hard to separate words from pictures, just as it is near impossible to distinguish the verbal from the visual. We have seen that Ling’s paintings are “mixed media” rather than “visual media”. But there is a further component to his works that is not related to our sensory apparatus, whether visual or tactile, in a straightforward way. Imagine how we interact with the paintings in an art gallery. The artworks are displayed at eye level, each illuminated by a spotlight from the ceiling. We approach one of them, and find that unlike an image on a website or in a book, the painting is an object, with a physical presence. We notice things about it that we have not before. We see that it is of a certain size, which we measure relative to out own bodies. We also see the texture of the paper, which has interacted in a particular way with the ink. In order to make these observations, we move our bodies in a certain manner. We notice that other visitors in the gallery are making similar movements. Although we think of ourselves as engaging with the painting visually, our movements — including the “a-ha” nod of comprehension — are not related to our optical faculties in a simple way. Scholar of art education Laura Chapman, in her book Instant Art, Instant Culture: The Unspoken Policy for American Schools, argues that art education needs to stress the importance of art in society. For her, art plays a significant role in our social spaces, and it is important that the art curriculum in schools emphasise that link. The connection between art and social space is central to David Summers’ seminal book, Real Spaces: World Art History and the Rise of Western Modernism. He argues against the reduction of art to pictorial imagination. That is, art is not “visual”. Rather, it is “spatial” in the sense that it plays an important part in giving social spaces certain configurations. The way we move at an exhibition of Ling Yang Chang’s paintings shows the connection between art and social space. The paintings coordinate our behaviour: before visiting the exhibition, we did not have a separate meeting to decide on how to behave; but somehow, inside a space of art, we move “appropriately”. This coordinating function of art goes beyond the exhibition. It also shapes the design of exhibition spaces in general, and of the various institutions of the “art industry”, including museums and education institutions. Ling Yang Chang’s paintings complicate the idea of the “visual” in yet another way. David Summers argues that human beings have certain distinguishing features. One of these is a predisposition for facing each other when communicating. Others include standing on two limps instead of four, and a preference for using hands for manipulating material. These characteristics lead to how artefacts that human beings create have certain forms. They also explain why social spaces come in certain configurations. Ling’s art can help us understand Summers’ point. Earlier, we saw that the paintings are objects with a physical presence. But they are not just any objects, but are objects that appeal to the observer visually because they address them: each painting has a front and a back, and are displayed in such a way that the front faces the observer. It is like two human beings communicating with each other. The paintings are objects that Ling created by a combination of materials, technologies, and techniques, in a way that relate to Summers’ idea of distinguishing human features: the paintbrush and the chisel are designed so that they can be held firmly by human fingers; the ink is concocted so that it can adhere tempo-rarily to the brush and the seal, and upon contact

MAKINGS

with the surface of the paper, leaves traces of the artist’s hand. Also, the artist is trained to execute a set of movements in order to produce words and images of a certain visual configuration. In other words, the painting will not have its current visual appearance if it was made by an organism with preferences that are different from those of a human being. This line of inquiry on art and space can be pushed further to include the size and type of paper used, the viscosity of the ink, the chemical composition of the pigments and so on. We might come to the conclusion that Ling Yang Chang’s art can only be created at a particular time in a particular place, and it would not have existed in a time and place far removed from our own. This essay has been concerned with the question of what can a student learn about visual images by studying Ling Yang Chang’s paintings. We saw that the artist’s works are not visual in a simple sense, but have significant tactile and spatial dimensions. They can be included in a course on visual images to complicate the idea of the “visual”. They can be used to demonstrate how painting, commonly thought of as a visual medium, is more like a mixed medium. They can also show how art is far from being products merely of pictorial imagination, but are integrated with our social spaces in complex ways.

References Chapman, Laura H. Instant Art Instant Culture: The Unspoken Policy for American Schools. New York: Teachers College Press, 1982. Elkins, James. Visual Literacy. London: Routledge, 2007. Elkins, James. Visual Practices Across the University. Munich: Fink Wilhelm GmbH + Co. KG, 2007. Mitchell, W. J. T. “Showing Seeing: A Critique of Visual Culture”. Journal of Visual Culture 1:(2) (2002): 165-181. Mitchell, W. J. T. “There Are No Visual Media”. Journal of Visual Culture 4:(2) (2005): 257-266. Summers, David. Real Space: World Art History and the Rise of Western Modernism. London: Phaidon, 2003.

About the Author Yow Siew Kah teaches and writes on art history. His institution affiliations include the National Institute of Education and Nanyang Polytechnic.

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

AT E A S E , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

C O N N E C T I O N S , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

L E I S U R E TOW N , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

H E A D I N G H O M E , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

M OT H E R A N D S O N , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

O L D TOW N N E W C I T Y, 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

C O N G E S T I O N , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

L U N C HT I M E , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

O L D S H O P H O U S E S , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

W A R E H O U S E , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

B L O O M I N G , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

B AC K L A N E , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

C H I N E S E T E M P L E , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

O UT O F TOW N , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

C I T Y B R E E Z E , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

K O P I T I A M , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

G A R D E N C I T Y, 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 66 x 64cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

M OT H E R R I V E R , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

O L D S T R E E T, 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 66 x 64cm

MAKINGS

C I T Y H U E S , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

W A I T I N G , 2 015 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

B AC K F R O M T H E FA R M , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

對牛彈琴 , 2 014

Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

Q U I E T LY I N T H O U G HT, 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

不讓紅花壞心神 , 2 014

Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

I D L E , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

I N D E E P T H O U G HT, 2 014 Chinese Ink on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

MAKINGS

花前人累了 , 2 013

Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

L O N G E V I T Y, 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

TA K E A B R E A K , 2 014 Chinese Ink and Colour on Paper, 68 x 68cm

MAKINGS

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

Biography

Born in Singapore 1963, Ling Yang Chang has been involved in many aspects of art — making over the last thirty years: artistic creations, group and solo exhibitions, workshops, public lectures and art teaching. As a graduate in Chinese Studies, Yang Chang finds a natural affinity for Chinese brush painting, with close attention to beauty of lines, poetical resonance and philosophical depth. In this medium, Yang Chang is a complete artist in the Chinese scholarly tradition; not only does he carve his own seals; he also appends his artistic creations with his own calligraphical writings. Moreover, the steely discipline required in establishing a solid brush and ink control technique has built a strong platform for Yang Chang’s exploration into other artistic fields, namely Contemporary Chinese Art, and Modern and Abstract Painting. Hence, Yang Chang’s work is characterized by a delicate balance of Chinese and Western influences. Even in the free rein of Western Abstract expression, the fine lines and tonal qualities of Chinese painting are never absent.

MAKINGS

Solo Exhibitions 2014

The Heart of Zen, Jastar Investment Pte Ltd, Singapore

2013

Flowery World II, Utterly Art, Singapore Bit and Pieces, Ins Art, Singapore

2012

A Walk in the City, Utterly Art, Singapore

2011

Catwalk, Momentous Arts, Singapore

2010

Windows , Momentous Arts, Singapore

2009

Portraits of Nature, Momentous Arts, Singapore

2007

Confluence, Drawing Gallery, Singapore Perspectives from the Heart, Metakaos Gallery, Singapore

1997

Flowery World, Orchard Gallery, Singapore

Group Exhibitions 2015

Living Stills, Singapore Scholar & Ink, NUS Museum, Singapore Singapore Art Society 65th Annual Exhibition, Singapore A Brush with Singapore Art Society, Singapore

2014

L’Exposition des Beaux-artsa de I’Orient et de I’Occident, France International Cultural Biennial, China Nothing in Common, Singapore Contemporary Modern, Singapore Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore

2013

Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore Singapore Art Scoiety Annual Exhibition, Singapore

2012

Singapore Art Society 63th Annual Exhibition cum Dr Tan Tsze Chor Art Awards 2012, Singapore Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore 81 Artist from the North and South, Singapore & China

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

National Day Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition 2012, Singapore 2011

The 26th Asian International Art Exhibition, Seoul Figuratively, Singapore Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore

2010

3rd “Tradition and Modernism” Exhibition of Contemporary Painting and Calligraphy, China Boundaries, Singapore Siaw Tao 40’, Singapore Duologue, Singapore Excavation, Singapore

2009

Remade, Relived: Modern Art in Singapore, Singapore Scent of a Garden, Singapore HOME – Inaugural NUS Alumni Art Show, Singapore The 24th Asian International Art Exhibition, Malaysia Art Singapore, Singapore Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore

2008

The 23rd Asian International Art Exhibition 2008, China Art Singapore, Singapore Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore Singapore Seal Engraver’s Exhibition, Singapore Singapore-Malaysia Chinese Painting & Calligraphy Art Exchange Exhibition, Singapore

2007

Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore

2006

Siaw-Tao Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore Singapore Seal Engraver’s Exhibition, Singapore Secert Garden 2006, Singapore The 21st Asian International Art Exhibition 2006, Singapore Phases and Places 2006, Singapore

2005

Line Art, Singapore Art Show 2005, Singapore

MAKINGS

Et cetera 2005, Singapore 35th Anniversary Exhibition, Siaw-Tao Chinese Seal Carving, Calligraphy & Painting Society 2005, Singapore Singapore Art Society Exhibition 2005, Singapore 2003

New Find 2003, Singapore

2002

Collections of Chinese Seal Engraving Exhibition by Singapore Artists 2002, Singapore

2000

Tranquillity Contemplated 2000, Singapore

1999

Singapore Art Society 50th Anniversary Art Exhibition 1999, Singapore

1997

Singapore Art 97’, Singapore

1996

Philippe Charriol Foundation Contemporary Art Exhibition 1996, Singapore The Exhibition of Chinese Painting — Landscape, 1996, Singapore Joint NIE Staff-Student Exhibition, 1996, Singapore The 15th Painting of the Year Exhibition, 1996, Singapore Nine Artists in Bali, 1996, Singapore Grand Shell Discovery Art Exhibition 1996, Singapore

1995

Singapore Art Society Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore The Society of Chinese Artist Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore 1+35, Singapore

1994

Singapore Art Society Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore The Society of Chinese Artist Annual Art Exhibition, Singapore Rhythm & Vitality 1994, Singapore

1992

National Kidney Foundation Charity Art Exhibition 1992, Singapore Shell Discovery Exhibition 1992, Singapore Asia Invitation Art Exhibition in Seoul 1992, Korea

1990

ART 90’ — In Commemoration of the 55th Anniversary of The Society of Chinese Artists, Singapore

1988

The Second International Seal Carving Exhibition in Seoul 1988, Korea

L I N G YA N G C H A N G

Awards First Prize (Chinese Ink Painting) Dr Tan Tsze Chor Art Award 2011 The Singapore Art Society Dr J M Nathan Memorial Prize for Creativity 2004 National Institute of Education Nanyang Technological University Certificate of Commendation (Chinese Ink Painting) Dr Tan Tsze Chor Art Award 2001 The Singapore Art Society Certificate of Commendation 15th Painting of the Year Exhibition, 1996 United Overseas Bank Group Certificate of Distinction Contemporary Art Competition 1995/96 Philippe Charriol Foundation

MAKINGS

Makings LI NG YANG CHANG

First published 2015 Ode To Art Raffles City 252 North Bridge Road, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #01-36E/F, Singapore 179103 Tel: +65 6250 1901 Fax: +65 6250 5354 Ode To Art Kuala Lumpur 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, The Pavilion, #06-24E/F, Kuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia Tel: +603 2148 9816 Fax: +603 2142 6816 info@odetoart.com odetoart.com ÂŠ Ode To Art 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed and bound in Singapore