中文
中文

Chen Linggang

Chen Linggang, born in 1978 in Jilin, China, currently resides and works in Beijing. He is an alumnus of Jilin Forestry University, where he majored in Environmental Art and graduated in the year 2000.

 

His artistic approach is characterized by texturally rich compositions that engage in a playful dialogue with traditional concepts of language and reading. A distinctive aspect of his work is the use of previously written pages as a primary medium, adding an element of tangible authenticity.

 

He employs traditional rice paper, commonly used in Chinese calligraphy, and repurposes pages from printed materials such as books, magazines, and newspapers. These pages are artfully crinkled, twisted, compressed, and then wrapped around blocks or cylinders, forming the basis of his grid-like collage canvases. The papers often feature depictions of historical figures or segments of Tang Dynasty poetry. Once these pages are folded and affixed, their original content becomes partially obscured, challenging the viewer's ability to fully decipher them. Through his work, Chen Linggang ingeniously leverages "paper" and "printing," two of ancient China's most significant inventions, to present a critique of the symbolic nature of language, transforming it into a form of expression that transcends conventional written text.

Chen Linggang, born in 1978 in Jilin, China, currently resides and works in Beijing. He is an alumnus of Jilin Forestry University, where he majored in Environmental Art and graduated in the year 2000.

 

His artistic approach is characterized by texturally rich compositions that engage in a playful dialogue with traditional concepts of language and reading. A distinctive aspect of his work is the use of previously written pages as a primary medium, adding an element of tangible authenticity.

 

He employs traditional rice paper, commonly used in Chinese calligraphy, and repurposes pages from printed materials such as books, magazines, and newspapers. These pages are artfully crinkled, twisted, compressed, and then wrapped around blocks or cylinders, forming the basis of his grid-like collage canvases. The papers often feature depictions of historical figures or segments of Tang Dynasty poetry. Once these pages are folded and affixed, their original content becomes partially obscured, challenging the viewer's ability to fully decipher them. Through his work, Chen Linggang ingeniously leverages "paper" and "printing," two of ancient China's most significant inventions, to present a critique of the symbolic nature of language, transforming it into a form of expression that transcends conventional written text.