Photograph is a medium of instant moments. Before digital images had replaced traditional films, a photograph was used to be a solid object, a proof one can obtain from the passing of time. It freezes a unique moment in the form of a negative film, even though the moment will one day extend beyond the reach of memory. Time Immemorial, a series founded in 2016, was made in great respect towards the abandoned histories in photographs.

Time Immemorial breaks a new ground in presenting digital images, where the artist transforms computer images and develops them onto 8 × 10 negative films. This concept of minimalist reduction came along during a journey to Japan, where Yang studied traditions and craftsmanship originated from ancient China yet better preserved in present day’s Japan. The series can be presented as a negative film lit by a light box as well as giclee prints on Japanese-style mounted hanging scrolls.

Up until 2016, it has been a full decade since Yang created digital Shan Shui—replacing traditional Chinese brush and ink with images of modern buildings in landscapes. Throughout years of practice, the artist has photographed around the world and his skills in digital painting became unconquerably exquisite. Yet Yang had never stopped seeking innovative methods to enrich and variegate his language.