First Glimpse of Ling Yang Chang’s “Windows Series”
An empty space
cut out of
strong, solid wall
often unadorned,
sometimes a pair of curtains hangs by its side
light, flimsy, yet tangible
sometimes set with black vertical rods
strong, solid and subduing.
The doors of the casement
can be firmly shut
but most of the times
wide open
Yet there are times when they are
half open and half shut
Once in a while
a solitary figure appears,
silent, pensive and pondering,
at times, just a slumbering head on the sill.
a cat even jumps up once,
regal and imposing
It is all about Windows…the latest platforms chosen by Ling Yang Chang to play out Life’s mini dramas; and the Singaporean artist has aptly christened this group of paintings as the “Windows Series”.
Ling views windows as an interface, and indeed, a link between two adjoining spaces. Windows are the link between two physical spaces: one confined space with another, one physical reality with another or the “interior” versus the “exterior”. Although they confine us to a restrictive space and they also provide us a glimpse to the outside world. At times, they take on a spiritual dimension as in the case of 心灵之窗 (xin ling zhi chuang, loosely translated as the “window of the heart”) where one can get a glimpse of the artist’s inner feelings and his reaction to the physical reality of the outside world.
The interfaces are viewed from many perspectives. Sometimes we see the window from the interior of the house, but more often the glimpse is from the outside looking in or looking up. The interaction can be in the form of a solitary reposing head, eyes closed, resting tranquilly on the window sill. This is a portrayal of perfect contentment, where the inner self is totally in sync with the elements without. One can almost feel the warmth of the sunlight on the face or sense the refreshing spring breeze that gently caresses the sleeping figure.
The ambiguity of Windows as postulated by the classical Taoist thinkers is not lost to the artist who is well schooled in Chinese classics. Windows are useless “voids” hacked out of solid walls which give security to the inhabitants and provide protection from the elements. Yet, it is through these useless voids that the sunlight comes in and lights up the confined space within the walls. It is also through these useless voids that refreshing air flows in from outside and through which the stagnant stillness within is driven out.
Indeed, Windows are ambiguous objects, even as they allow one to reach out to embrace the outside world; they also frame the interior action within a limited, almost static, perspective.
This ambiguity is best depicted in a painting that shows a solitary female character standing at the window in a reflective mood. She carries on her face an air of ambivalence. This ambivalent mood is further heightened by the subtle contrasting touches of the artist: a door of the casement window hangs open, while another is firmly shut. Then the interior is lighted up with bright warm golden light; but viewing from the exterior one becomes aware of the rugged bleakness of the outer wall. However, one can still sense the dominant uninhibited space outside the window.
If you like, while Shakespeare may proclaim that All the World’s a stage….Ling’s Windows series is a mini theatrical stage on which adjoining spaces interact, interplay and play out their subtle mini life dramas.
So, next time, when you come across a window, do not hasten your footsteps; slow down and ponder about the spatial-spiritual interactions that are being played out on this innocuous window platform.
Chin Lian Khion, 19 December 2009
