M+ Commission:
Tong Yang-Tze
M+ Commission:
Tong Yang-Tze
28 Aug 2022
The five calligraphy works by Tong Yang-Tze, one of the most acclaimed calligraphy artists working today, were commissioned for the Main Hall on the occasion of the museum opening. Each phrase was selected by the artist from the I Ching (Book of Changes), an ancient Chinese philosophical text. Standing in the centre of Main Hall, one pillar displays four phrases from the original text; the other is encircled by a single sentence. These excerpts, written in a mix of running and regular scripts, touch upon delicate dynamic between humans, nature and cosmic order and are the artist’s reflection on how ancient wisdom applies to the modern world. Tong’s monumental calligraphy proposes new possibilities for experiencing written Chinese, emphasising the significance of script in Chinese visual culture, and underscoring calligraphy as a contemporary medium.
Objects on Display
Tong Yang-Tze. The movement of heaven is powerful, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. Renew oneself daily, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © M+, Hong Kong. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. At the auspicious moment, act without delay, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. Delight in the existence of heaven and understand its order, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. Embracing the way of heaven brings progress, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 1037cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. The movement of heaven is powerful, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. Renew oneself daily, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © M+, Hong Kong. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. At the auspicious moment, act without delay, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. Delight in the existence of heaven and understand its order, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 194cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Tong Yang-Tze. Embracing the way of heaven brings progress, 2020. Ink on paper, 360 x 1037cm. Commissioned by M+, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
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About the Artist
Tong Yang-Tze is one of the most acclaimed calligraphy artists working today. Trained in the classical art of writing since childhood and later in oil painting in Taiwan and the United States, she began making calligraphy exclusively in the 1970s. Her signature rhythmic strokes and innovative compositions of characters often blur the boundaries between calligraphy and abstract painting.
M+ Magazine
Image at top: Installation view of M+ Commission: Tong Yang-Tze, 2020. © Tong Yang-Tze. Photo: Lok Cheng & Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong