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Stage 6 Visual Arts Case
Study
Lin Yan 林延 ‘Ink and Paper: An Archaeology of Traces’
“The force drawing me to art is like gravity.”
(Lin Yan)
Left: Lin Yan, Sky 2, 2016, Ink and Xuan Paper,
330 x 1600 x 520 cm, image courtesy White Rabbit Collection, Sydney,
There is no border between the work and the space outside the frame.
There is no line between frail and strong, active and calm, void and solid. All
these properties are embraced in the work. The quality and characteristic of
the materials contribute to the creation process over which my touch is
minimal.’ (Lin Yan)
Practice – the artist and the critic
The Structural Frame: interpreting signs
and codes, understanding materiality
The
Cultural Frame: Artworks in the social, historical and political context of
contemporary China and the USA The Subjective Frame: how is artists’ practice
embodied in their physical work in the studio?
Conceptual Framework: Artist/Artwork/World
relationships Outcomes: P7, P8, P9, H7, H8, H9, H10
Course Content
– IB Comparative Study
Assessed Criteria for
the Comparative Study include:
o
Analysis of formal qualities
o
Interpretation of function and purpose
o
Evaluation of cultural significance
o
Making comparisons and connections
o
Presentation and subject
specific language
o
(for HL only) making
connections to own art practice
For PRELIMINARY, HSC and IB
students, this Case Study is focused on:
o
Reading and analysing
extracts of art critical writing to model descriptive writing and critical
analysis and interpretation
o
Understanding ‘visual
codes’ and iconography – applying the structural frame to understand how artists create meanings
in their works through their choices of materials and their visual language
o Understanding how contemporary artists work in ways informed by history as well as the present- day issues in society, and how art historians explain works in their context
o Examining how contemporary artists use new – and old – technologies
o Comparative writing – learning how to compare works (by the same or different artists) to make well-supported inferences and deductions
o Understanding how contemporary artists work in ways informed by history as well as the present- day issues in society, and how art historians explain works in their context
o Examining how contemporary artists use new – and old – technologies
o Comparative writing – learning how to compare works (by the same or different artists) to make well-supported inferences and deductions
For Teachers – Some Information About Teaching /
Learning:
This Case Study focuses on the practices of
the artist and the critic. In the first instance, students encounter the
artworks themselves, in the gallery and/or in reproduction and/or online. A
sequence of learning activities begins with a discussion of selected works,
followed by reading the examples of art writing provided (models of critical
practice), and responding to focus questions. Whole class and small group tasks are suggested, with links to other artists,
and to other useful resources. An extended response question, with marking
guidelines, requires students to develop an argument that demonstrates their
understanding of the artist’s practice in his social and historical context.
The
Case Study may be approached in a range of different ways, depending on the
particular interests of teachers and students. Strategies may include:
o Independent research or collaborative investigations
o ‘Socratic Dialogues’ that unpack a range of meanings in specific works
o Debates or dialogues exploring how Lin Yan uses Chinese ink and paper to explore the contemporary world
o The creation of student blogs or websites for the publication of critical art writing
o Independent research or collaborative investigations
o ‘Socratic Dialogues’ that unpack a range of meanings in specific works
o Debates or dialogues exploring how Lin Yan uses Chinese ink and paper to explore the contemporary world
o The creation of student blogs or websites for the publication of critical art writing
A: Individually,
students read each of the three texts and answer the focus questions before
attempting the extended response.
B: To extend this case study, working independently or in small groups,
students may choose to investigate:
o The relationships between works by Lin Yan and traditions of ink and paper in China – how have these ancient materials been used in the past and the present
o Works by contemporary artists who work with these materials form a useful comparison: consider Bingyi’s monumental ink installations, Qiu Anxiong’s ink animation New Book of Mountains and Seas Part 2, Xu Bing’s Book from the Sky, Liang Quan’s use of torn xuan paper strips stained with ink and tea that create minimalist abstract works, or Mia Wen-Hsuan Liu’s complex paper constructions such as Guggen’ Dizzy. Find these examples HERE
o How does Lin Yan’s material and conceptual practice connect with other installation artists and their works such as Gu Wenda’s United Nations series, Liu Wei’s constructions of building materials or cities made of dog chews, Song Dong’s Waste Not or works by Anne Hamilton, Claire Healey and Sean Cordeiro, or Do Ho Suh? Students could compare Sky 2 with the work of one or more of these artists in a class discussion.
Students – Start Here!
o The relationships between works by Lin Yan and traditions of ink and paper in China – how have these ancient materials been used in the past and the present
o Works by contemporary artists who work with these materials form a useful comparison: consider Bingyi’s monumental ink installations, Qiu Anxiong’s ink animation New Book of Mountains and Seas Part 2, Xu Bing’s Book from the Sky, Liang Quan’s use of torn xuan paper strips stained with ink and tea that create minimalist abstract works, or Mia Wen-Hsuan Liu’s complex paper constructions such as Guggen’ Dizzy. Find these examples HERE
o How does Lin Yan’s material and conceptual practice connect with other installation artists and their works such as Gu Wenda’s United Nations series, Liu Wei’s constructions of building materials or cities made of dog chews, Song Dong’s Waste Not or works by Anne Hamilton, Claire Healey and Sean Cordeiro, or Do Ho Suh? Students could compare Sky 2 with the work of one or more of these artists in a class discussion.
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| Lin Yan, Sky 2 installed at White Rabbit Gallery in 'The Dark Matters' 2017 |
·
First watch this video showing Lin Yan’s works
installed in an art gallery in Taiwan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etGuzTqyC0k
·
Look at
photographs of her work and see if you can work out HOW she makes them – what
are her physical actions with her materials?
·
What do you
think are the major themes and ideas that preoccupy the artist?
You will be applying
different ‘lenses’ of interpretation as you continue to explore Lin Yan’s
practice, as well as placing the artist in the context of her world as a diasporic
artist who left China to study and now lives in New York.
Now that you are
familiar with what Lin Yan does, the next step is to work through the questions
that follow each reading, before attempting the extended response question that
concludes this case study.
Use the terminology from
the list below as you describe and interpret Lin Yan’s work and analyse her
practice.
Essential Terminology for this Case Study
1. Diasporic / Diaspora
2. Installation
3. Site-specific
4. 'Shan Shui' (mountain/water i.e. landscape ink painting)
5. 'Shui Mo' (inkwash painting)
6. Literati
7. Monochromatic
8. Relief Sculpture
9. Abstraction
10. Embossing
2. Installation
3. Site-specific
4. 'Shan Shui' (mountain/water i.e. landscape ink painting)
5. 'Shui Mo' (inkwash painting)
6. Literati
7. Monochromatic
8. Relief Sculpture
9. Abstraction
10. Embossing
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Lin Yan, born to a distinguished family of artists, grew up in
Beijing and left China in 1985 before China’s modernization. She followed her grandfather and mother’s footsteps
by studying art in Paris,
before moving to the United States
in 1986, where she obtained
her master’s degree
in Fine Art. Her first solo show, Tai Chi in
Painting at her graduate school
in Pennsylvania, infused
Chinese philosophy into her various
'constructed paintings'.
Taoist thought remains
in Lin Yan’s life and art. She seeks the simplest
possible use of elements in her work. Though her forms are often quite
minimal and quiet in nature, they are nevertheless filled with complexity and
nuance. The foundation of Lin Yan’s large sculptural paper collage is a variety
of hand-made paper, traditionally used for Chinese painting
and calligraphy. The crumpled layers
of soft handmade
paper and ink create the paradoxical effect
of a strong, post-industrial feeling.
Inspired by old Beijing architecture from her memory and
industrial elements in her Brooklyn home, Lin Yan blurs boundaries, embraces
conflict, and brings histories both past and present together. Aware of the
struggle between humans and nature in the world, she balances this restlessness
with the tranquility of her materials.
Lin Yan’s works have been widely shown in galleries
and museums, included
in recent exhibitions at Museum of Chinese
American in America
in New York, the National
Art Museum of China in Beijing, Dresden
State Art Collections in
Germany, Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum in China; reviewed and featured in the
New York Times, Art News, Art in America, Art Asia Pacific, Architecture and
Art, Elle China, Women of China, World Journal and CCTV, among others.
Text Source: www.ocula.com
In 1994, Lin returned to
Beijing, and to her dismay, found the once familiar city virtually ruined by
urban modernization. The urge to respond to the changes swelled inside her. She
began to cast, with paper, the partial details and fragments of old buildings
in Beijing, such as roof tiles and rivets, so as to crystallize her feelings
for traditional culture in her works.
Despite the feeling
towards things lost, struggling, or being destroyed, there is also beauty,
strength, hope, and persistence in these sculpted paper paintings." Her
choice of material also reflects her personal philosophy: "Even though
paper may endure a thousand year, it can return to the nature ultimately. Not a
hint of trace left. This is how I want my life to end as well."
(Text adapted from Eslite Gallery http://www.eslitegallery.com/en/exhibition.php?id=133& )
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| Lin Yan, Hutong #3, 2016, |
Useful References and Resources
http://momaps1.org/studio-visit/artist/linyan - images of her studio and artworks
http://www.3dotswater.com/linyan.html A very
comprehensive critical analysis of her work
http://www.brooklynrail.org/2012/08/artseen/avant-garde-ink-in-chinabeyond-pop-and- expressionism
an
exhibition review
http://www.nanhaiart.com/artist/Yan_Lin/works/230 excellent images of the artist’s works
Readings and Questions
Reading #1 – Extract from a review of Lin Yan’s
2014 exhibition in Brussels by Maria
Elena Minuto
The refined
exhibition…brings together a series of installations
and artworks made by the artist on
a support of excellence: the traditional and refined xuan paper hailing from the
Chinese Tang
dynasty (618 –917 AD).
Known for being resistant
and malleable, this handmade paper,
made
by grinding mulberry
leaves
and elm tree
barks, was and still is today the most privileged
paper among experienced Chinese calligraphy
masters. However, in Lin Ya n’s work, it gets a different meaning, value and a
different perception and corporeity, as it strides
toward full integration in the contemporary world. The artist, indeed, through
an accurate and
refined game of layers, cuts, accumulations,
folding and moulds, substantially
and conceptually transfigures this precious
and ancient paper, which from
a simple support turns into matter and from a natural substance becomes
form.
Delicate
sculptures cover the walls and organically redefine the architecture of her hometown ( Little Empire , 2014; My Rose
, 2014), paper, wax and
ink -made installations invade the space
( Blank Pages , 2014;
Between Inhale and Exhale , 2014;
Passing By , 2014), but
also collages and paintings
where bolts, screws and nails are juxtaposed to the natural lightness
and elegance of the xuan paper- emerge in sharp contrast ( Notes #2 , 2013;
Notes #1 , 2014; Both Sides
of the Story , 2014).
These elements, as well as the brick moulds and the floors in the works Old Town
(2014) and Lotus Brick from No. 68 (2012), are meaningful and evocative
references to the artist’s past, to her
studio in Brooklyn and in Beijing, her
hometown. The slow process of accumulation, sedimentation and laying of
the materials used by Lin Yan to
make some of her artworks, lets emerge, indeed, images replete
with remembrances that invite to
memory, to silence and to reflection.
The deep relationship
that
links and cadences the complete artworks
collection is not only represented by their precious medium (which the artist commen ced to use in 2005), it also
lies in the fact that each of them was specifically conceived for
this place looking over the Ixelles
Ponds, just as unquestionably poetic
as her works. Lin Yan, in fact,
before these works, spent a
long period in residence in the
Officina, listening to it, shaping it and interpreting it . With their transparencies, forms and complexities, these artworks silently reshape the
surfaces and the
volumes of this maison [the term used by
the writer for the art gallery ] devoted to
art….
Focus Questions
1.
What do you notice about the writer’s use of adjectives
in her descriptions of Lin Yan’s work, and how effective is
this technique?
2.
How are the artist’s physical
actions described?
3. Imagine Lin Yan at work in her Brooklyn studio – what is she doing? Describe what you would see as you look around
you.
4.
The writer interprets Lin Yan’s
conceptual intentions, and discusses the symbolism of her forms and techniques – how
does she explain this in the second paragraph?
5. From reading this article, what aspects of her world do you think
inspire Lin Yan? Give reasons for your opinion.
6.
Describe ‘Sky 2’ in two
sentences, selecting the most appropriate adjectives and descriptive phrases.
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| Lin Yan, Sky 2, 2016, image courtesy White Rabbit Collection |
Glossary
Dichotomy:
a contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or
entirely different.
Her first black series Qi
is a reflection on deterioration. Qi #2 -To My Hometown is at first
very disturbing, nearly violent. The work depicts the shock experienced by the
artist. It is a primal scream, expressing contradictory but inevitable forces.
We are a world apart from the stereotypes of what was old Beijing. But the work
is not a reference to the physical aspect Of the city. It is a quest. How do
you go back to your roots? What fragments would you put in the suitcase called
memory? For Lin Yan’s generation of artists, there was a Manichaean division of
the world between the communist society they Came from and the capitalism they
encountered on their arrival in the United States. But that dichotomy was
already disintegrating when she returned home. Beijing was suddenly under the
yoke of an intransigent capitalism. The destruction of traditional environments
expressed how the Celestial Empire had finally reached heaven! Lin Yan found
the worst of a capitalist society. It was unexpected to someone trying to
re-connect with her own society and its values.
Her palette of black and white helps her to go to the essence of abstraction. “There is nothing much to talk about” says Lin Yan in an interview given to art curator Liu Libin in 2006. A definition like a scalpel: there is no compromise. To discover the true nature of the world, one must find oneself. Lin Yan believes that, as an artist, she can take old patterns and old techniques to create something new. Black and white are the fundamental colors of classical Chinese art. White is the natural color of paper. Black is the color of ink, the vehicle that allows the transmission of ideas. Combined, paper and ink are the memory, the DNA of Chinese culture. Grey/Black is also the color of Beijing. The original houses in the “hutongs” (small alleys) were built with grayish bricks and tiles. Black was considered the “king” of colors in ancient China. It is associated with water, one of the five elements that compose nature. Black equally plays with white in the unity of Yin and Yang in the search for harmony.
To reach infinite
variations in her black palette, Lin Yan mixes different black oil colors with
mat or gloss media to create subtle feelings. She also uses acrylic, tempera or
wax. “Black is not a unique color. It has a complete palette. From Chinese
paintings, I learned how far I could go with only black. For ten years, I used
different blacks on different media. Since 2005, I have used only ink. I used
different Chinese paper as media too.” Quite naturally, Lin Yan came to use
handmade xuan paper and mulberry paper
(xuan zhi and pi zhi). Each kind includes a wide variety of paper made from the
bark of a type of elm tree or mulberry tree. Created during the Tang Dynasty
(7th century AD), it was used largely by painters and calligraphers. Lin Yan’s
choice for these papers was natural in the sense that they are common paper,
and consequently intrinsic to Chinese culture. With these two extremes, black
and white, she had an enormous palette of variations to play with. She could
then compose much more with the effects rather than the representational forms
of objects.
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| LineYan， Hutong 5， Xuan paper, ink, 51 x 41 cm。 Image Eslite Gallery Taipei |
Focus Questions
1.
How does
the writer account for the change in Lin Yan’s work after her 1994 return to Beijing?
2.
Why did Lin
Yan choose a palette of black and white?
3.
What
combinations of materials does Lin Yan use, and what are her reasons for these selections?
4.
What
possible interpretations of her ‘Qi’ series does the writer suggest?
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| LIN Yan, Brooklyn Note 2016, 2016, Ink, Xuan paper, gauze, 33 x 27 x 5 cm |
Reading #3 – The Paradox of Xuan, by Robert C. Morgan in Asian Art News Vol 22 No 5 2012
Glossary
Tao / Taoism: also known as Daoism, is a
Chinese religious or philosophical tradition which emphasises living in harmony
with the TAO (literally, ‘the Way’). The Tao is a fundamental idea in most
schools of Chinese philosophy; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle
that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists.
Paradox: a
situation or statement that seems impossible, absurd or difficult to understand
because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics
In the art of Lin Yan, involving one layer of thin paper against
another, one piece over another (or “step by step” as quoted by Lin from a speech
by President Barack
Obama in 2009) unlayering
is where the truth of the process is shown, the archaeology of traces that Lin
carefully and fastidiously reassembles. Even so, there is a paradox in all of
this. There can be no unlayering without first layering, and nothing can be
revealed that was not enshrouded. In either case, the body is implicated, as is
the mind, the thoughts of the artist as she engages in the process of creating
density from transparency. Enshrouded reflects a state of levity and suspension
where the xuan paper spectres created by Lin Yan reveal their uncanny, dark,
inscrutable, seemingly contradictory process. Together
her works — whether cast, draped and stained with the density of black ink — suggest a regal
manifestation of the paradox embodied in the ancient Tao — so close in their
reckoning to the wandering scribe from the Zhou Dynasty c. 1046 – 221 BCE), who
taught ‘the Way’ in southern
China — that being and non-being were inextricable, bound to the same
phenomenon, the same force, where
the milky way confronts a single blade of grass….
This Taoist paradox is latent within
her work. To saturate paper with ink, to bind and sheave
the cut- paper together, to
assort and fasten the paper in such a way that the free edges flutter gently
according to the current of air rising up from the floor — all of this done
without effort as if to suggest a simple happening, an impulse, a sensation.
To read the
entire article from which this passage is extracted, click: http://media.wix.com/ugd/1ee02f_8dc9457b24bae494dae89948de42bb00.pdf
Focus Questions
1.
Why does the writer see Lin
Yan’s work as a ‘paradox’? Do you agree?
2.
In the unabridged article, he
describes Lin’s process as a form of bodily and mental wholeness – ‘mind and
body are one, inseparable from one another.’ What do you think he means by this
in relation to the artist’s physical actions with her materials?
3.
The writer uses the term
‘unlayering’ to describe her actions and ideas, further
describing her works as
an ‘archaeology of traces’. Can you expand and explain what he means?
4.
With reference to ‘Sky 2’,
write one paragraph describing the artist’s actions and processes that you
deduce from observing the work, and the possible meanings or associations that
the work evokes for you.
The next step is to apply your understanding of Lin Yan’s practice
to an extended discussion of how artists use materials to communicate their
intended meanings. You will be able to use the descriptive passages that you
have written in response to the focus questions in your essay.
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| Lin Yan, Sky 2, Installation View, White Rabbit Gallery Sydney 2017 |
Comparative Art Criticism – an Essay
Answer the extended
response question you will find below the image of the work, with reference to ‘Sky 2’ by
Lin Yan compared with a work or works by one or more of the following
suggested artists (or another relevant artist you have studied):
·
Xu Bing e.g. ‘The Book from the Sky’
·
Bingyi e.g. her monumental ink
installation ‘Cascade’ in the lobby of Chicago’s Smart Museum,
·
Lin Tianmiao e.g. ‘Bound and
Unbound’ or ‘The Proliferation of Thread Winding’
·
Anne Hamilton e.g ‘The Event of
a Thread’ or ‘Air for Everyone’
·
Claire Healey and Sean Cordeiro
e.g. ‘Deceased Estate’
·
Song Dong e.g. ‘Waste Not’
·
Zhu Jinshi e.g. ‘The Ship of Time’
·
Arlene Shechet e.g. ‘Once Removed’
·
Do Ho Suh e.g. the fabric
replications of his New York apartment
·
Sachiko Abe e.g. her
performance work for the 18th Biennale
of Sydney
·
Chiharu Shiota e.g. ‘Conscious
Sleep’ at the 20th Biennale of Sydney
Plan and write an extended response to this ‘Practice’ question:
Explain
how an artist’s physical, emotional and intellectual engagement with their
materials influences the
meanings conveyed in their works. Consider a range of examples in your
response.
Marking Guidelines
Descriptor
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Mark Range
|
o
A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the practice
of the selected artists is evident and sustained throughout
o
A sophisticated analysis and interpretation of the visual
codes, materials, techniques and forms used by the selected artists, demonstrating
extensive knowledge and thorough understanding of the works within their
contemporary context.
o
Appropriate art terminology is employed fluently and
persuasively
|
A
9 -
10
|
o
A sound knowledge and understanding of the practice of the
selected artists is evident and well-sustained
o
A good analysis and interpretation of the visual codes,
materials, techniques and forms used by the selected artists, demonstrating
sound knowledge and understanding of the works within their contemporary contexts
o
Appropriate
art terminology is employed competently
|
B
7 -
8
|
o
Some knowledge and understanding of the practice of the
selected artists is evident
o
A satisfactory analysis and interpretation of some visual
codes, materials, techniques and forms used by the selected artists,
demonstrating some knowledge and understanding of the works in a more
descriptive manner
o
Some
appropriate art terminology is employed more
naively
|
C
5 - 6
|
o
A limited knowledge and understanding of the practice of the
selected artists may be expressed in less coherent ways
o
A simple analysis and interpretation of some visual codes,
materials, techniques and forms used by the selected artists, demonstrating a
developing knowledge and understanding of the works, is applied in a
descriptive or more limited manner
o
A very simple attempt to apply appropriate art language may
be evident
|
D
3 - 4
|
o
A
foundational understanding of artmaking practice
o
An elementary understanding of the visual codes, materials, techniques and forms used
the selected artists
o
Little
or no understanding of the contemporary artworld
o
Little
or no attempt to apply appropriate art language
|
E 1 - 2
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