Yang’s journey from the cultural periphery to the cultural centre of Western Europe is reflected in his artistic career. For him personally, Yang describes this period as one of retreat into introspection and reinvention of identity. His series Hundred Layers of Ink, large monochrome black ink paintings, reveal this position. In the late 1990s, figurative paintings and videos superseded Yang’s monochrome meditative inks. His works now referred to critical subjects and actual events.

With rare and unpublished photographs, reproductions and texts, this is the new essential Yang Jiechang overview, published on the occasion of the artist’s 60th birthday. Printed on textured paper that resembles the artist’s ink paintings and coming with a separate fanfolded booklet with details of his large-sized works, the publication is a unique artist’s book.

For more information, watch Yang Jiechang discussing his work 100 Layers of Ink Nos. 1, 2, 3 (1994) on the Metropolitan Museum's media channel.