One day in mountain is worth two thousands years in the world
2012 - Drawing & Print (Drawing & Print)
Yangjiang Group
One Day in the Mountain is a bilingual calligraphic performance piece written in ink superimposed with food leftover from a meal. The eponymous text: “One day in mountain is worth two thousands years in the world.” is written horizontally from left to right in both English and Chinese, following the writing order of modern Chinese instead of the traditional vertical right to left. With the word “is” migrating from the middle of the English phrase to be surrounded by Chinese characters, the resultant text appears to be spatially illustrating the meaning of being isolated in the mountain. The ink formed from the intermingling of food juices generates an energy circuit of inner cultivation through calligraphy writing with that the outer alchemy of cooking food. Furthermore, equating one day in the mountain with two thousand years also suggests that such transference of energy between insularity and worldliness can alter one’s experience and value of time.
Zheng Guogu founded the artistic group Yangjiang Group in 2002 with Chen Zaiyan (b. 1971, Yangchun, China) and Sun Qinglin (b. 1974, Yangjiang, China). For the Yangjiang Group, calligraphy functions as a metaphor for unpredictable, mysterious encounters hidden under the surface of a materialistic, confusing world. Their works focus on mundane daily actions and processes through the construction of large-scale, non-traditional architectural structures in Yangjiang as well as performances and site specific exhibitions at galleries, museums and art fairs around the world. They primarily work in calligraphy in conjunction with daily activities such as meeting, eating, drinking, bartering, gaming, and gambling. Seeing Yangjiang as a place on the periphery of political influence from Beijing, their aim is to transgress any rules or controlled conditions for calligraphy writing. The intermixing of imbibing and writing also ensures a material circulation of inner being and outward energy that dissipates the boundaries between art and lived experience.
Colors:
Related works sharing similar palette
» see more
© » 1854 PHOTOGRAPHY
‘A mosaic of traditions’: Capturing Bangladesh’s most beloved beach - 1854 Photography Subscribe latest Agenda Bookshelf Projects Industry Insights magazine Explore ANY ANSWERS FINE ART IN THE STUDIO PARENTHOOD ART & ACTIVISM FOR THE RECORD LANDSCAPE PICTURE THIS CREATIVE BRIEF GENDER & SEXUALITY MIXED MEDIA POWER & EMPOWERMENT DOCUMENTARY HOME & BELONGING ON LOCATION PORTRAITURE DECADE OF CHANGE HUMANITY & TECHNOLOGY OPINION THEN & NOW Explore Stories latest agenda bookshelf projects theme in focus industry insights magazine ANY ANSWERS FINE ART IN THE STUDIO PARENTHOOD ART & ACTIVISM FOR THE RECORD LANDSCAPE PICTURE THIS CREATIVE BRIEF GENDER & SEXUALITY MIXED MEDIA POWER & EMPOWERMENT DOCUMENTARY HOME & BELONGING ON LOCATION PORTRAITURE DECADE OF CHANGE HUMANITY & TECHNOLOGY OPINION THEN & NOW Two Bangladeshi life guard at the beach of Cox’s Bazar © Ismail Ferdous For his Leica Award-winning body of work, Sea Beach, Ismail Ferdous returned to the seaside of his childhood...
Related works found in the same semantic group
» see more
© » SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
How to get lucky in the Year of the Dragon: money, colours, clothing, food | South China Morning Post Advertisement Advertisement Chinese culture + FOLLOW Get more with my NEWS A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you Learn more Worshippers pray at Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year holidays on January 25, 2023...
© » SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Miles Johnson, Diana Reid, Fuchsia Dunlop: Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2024’s line-up is as impressive as it is eclectic | South China Morning Post Advertisement Advertisement Books and literature + FOLLOW Get more with my NEWS A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you Learn more British food writer Fuchsia Dunlop will talk about her latest book, “Invitation to a Banquet”, at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2024, which includes a stellar line-up of emerging and established writers...
© » THEARTNEWSPER
Nevada lithium mine threatens cultural sites Art market Museums & heritage Exhibitions Books Podcasts Columns Technology Adventures with Van Gogh Search Search Heritage news Nevada lithium mine threatens cultural sites The US federal government’s manoeuvres to boost domestic lithium extraction are raising fears from tribal communities about archaeological and environmental impacts Gabriella Angeleti 8 December 2023 Share Members of the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone tribe gather to oppose the Thacker Pass lithium mine Photo: Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The construction of an open-pit lithium mine in northern Nevada, which is scheduled to begin full-fledged operation in 2026, will have irreversible effects on the environment and cultural heritage sites in the region, according to archaeologists, environmentalists and Native American communities who oppose the project...
