The Clouds
Date2022
Mediumsingle channel 8K video file with audio, 8’00”, edition of 7
ClassificationsTime-based media
Credit LineStoddard Acquisition Fund
Object number2024.192
Label TextThe series Imagined Landscape pays tribute to Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) shan shui painter Lan Ying (about 1585-1664), who was esteemed for his vibrant palette and dynamic brushwork. However, unlike traditional shan shui landscapes that express nature’s harmony, Yang’s unsettling cityscapes cycle between construction and destruction. They alert viewers to the environmental damage caused by China’s ongoing overdevelopment.
Yang’s videos blend photography and animation. He brings his ominous vision of uncontrollable urban expansion to life by taking hundreds of digital photographs of urban sprawl and then stitching the files together using animation software. A native of Shanghai, Yang laments the ongoing demolition of his city’s history in the name of progress: “Every time I come to [document] these demolished construction sites, I feel despair and sadness, especially when it’s cloudy or raining. The atmosphere gets amplified.”On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Lancaster Lobby
