View of Tide
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This composite photograph takes the form of a panoramic handscroll that presents a succession of towering mountains wreathed in mist and surrounded by expanses of open water. But upon closer examination, the majestic mountains are revealed to be composed of countless high-rise apartments and other buildings, while the “trees” are actually power-line towers and construction cranes—the ubiquitous icons of New China. What initially appears to be a pristine image of nature’s grandeur is suddenly exposed as an entirely man-made environment, except for the watery passages comprising images of actual waves and waterfalls. Created through Yang’s distinctive method of “painting” with digital photography, the seemingly harmonious traditional landscape becomes a subtle yet critical response to urbanization.
Artwork Details
- Title: View of Tide
- Artist: Yang Yongliang (Chinese, born 1980)
- Date: 2008
- Culture: China
- Medium: Inkjet print
- Dimensions: Image: 17 3/4 in. × 32 ft. 9 3/4 in. (45 × 1000 cm)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Lent by M+ Sigg Collection, Hong Kong
- Rights and Reproduction: @ Yang Yongliang
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art