The Path / 小径

2016

Film on Light box

15.75" x 19.69" / 40 × 50 cm

Photography is a medium of instant moments. Before digital images had replaced traditional films, a photograph 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 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 that originated from ancient China yet better preserved in present-day 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.

By 2016, a full decade had passed since Yang began creating digital shan shui (landscapes created by replacing traditional brush and ink with images of modern buildings). Over those years, the artist traveled the world, and his skills in digital painting became exceptionally refined. Yet Yang never stopped seeking innovative methods to enrich and diversify his artistic language.

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The Spring / 泉

2016

Film on Light box

15.75" x 19.69" / 40 × 50 cm

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Sinking / 沉没

2016

Film on Light box

15.75" x 19.69" / 40 × 50 cm

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The Brook / 小涧.