Yuyu Yang (1926-97) was a prominent sculptor in Taiwan and China. Within his artwork, Yang incorporated symbols of the dragon and the phoenix, as well as the earth and the sky, and other thematic pairs prominent in Chinese philosophy. He used these symbols to display the duplicity and interaction of opposites in nature. To link his pieces more closely to their audience and their surroundings, Yang worked with stainless steel creating mirror-like surfaces which in turn reflect their environment. This is readily apparent in Dragon's Shrill in the Cosmic Void. Yang viewed his sculptures as an event -- an interaction between piece and audience. In reference to one of his New York installations, Yang commented on his own artwork: "My sculptures in general, and stainless steel sculptures in particular, harmonize man and his environment spiritually, mentally, and physically; this is why I call my sculptures lifescapes instead of environmental sculptures." (1) Originally from Taiwan, Yang began his education at the Fu Jen University in Beijing, China. He went on to study architecture at Tokyo Academy of Architecture, Japan. Due to the advent of World War II, Yang returned home to teach at the National Taiwan Normal University. Eventually he made his way to Italy to study in the sculpture department of the National Academy of Rome. From the early 1950s into the 1970s, Yang’s work evolved from traditional expressionism to simple abstract forms. He has worked with a variety of materials including paper, cloth, wood, clay, bronze, iron, marble, and stainless steel. During the 1990s, he turned almost exclusively to stainless steel to simply and eloquently express the thematic symbols that appear frequently in Chinese philosophy. His work is included in the collections of many prestigious private, corporate, and museum collections such as the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Sunrider Museum, Los Angeles, CA; World trade Building, Kaoshiung, Taiwan; Taipei World Trade Center; Taipei Fine Arts Museum; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome, Italy; The Vatican, Rome, Italy among many more.
In 1992, he founded the Yuyu Yang Lifescape Sculpture Museum in Taiwan, managed by the Yuyu Yang Foundation (http://www.yuyuyang.org.tw/). Its purpose is to organize exhibitions and provide materials to encourage a better understanding of Yang’s work, in addition to holding other activities in promotion of the arts. Yuyu Yang died in Hsinchu, Taiwan in 1997. More information on this artist can be found at
http://taipei.tzuchi.org.tw/tzquart/2003su/qs3.htm (1) Quoted in the Introduction, Simply Put, The Subtle Sculptural Language of Yuyu Yang, catalogue to the exhibition, Dietrich Contemporary Arts, New York, 1994, np. 95, p. F12. Other works by Yuyu Yang currently on view in the sculpture park: Lunar Brilliance, 1979
stainless steel
64 3/4" x 59" x 23 1/2"
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc. Dragon's Shrill in the Cosmic Void, 1991
stainless steel
81 1/2" x 81 1/2" x 46"
Courtesy of The Sculpture Foundation, Inc. | |
