Is there a space between meaning and being? An interval or an interstice? Do expression and existence reside in separate planes, surfacing and retreating according to perspective or focus? In the paintings of John Chang, forms derived from Chinese calligraphy are recognizable yet undecipherable as written language. Composed of swaths of paint, these configurations are also the aftermath of physical exertion, with drips and splatters as evidence of spirited activity. Seen as characters, these marks lie on the picture plane like words on a page or scroll, but the painted gestures and jumble of strokes don't settle easily into a singular alignment: overlapping strokes become openings or ruptures background comes forward as distinct shapes.
Each interpretation relies upon relationships that are a matter of perception. Complicating the pictorial space, Chang introduces printed materials from both Western and Chinese sources. These are cut and arranged in patterns or affixed to serve as the receiving medium. Chang uses collected newspapers, as well as post production materials from his graphic design work, for his collage elements and he makes pulp in a blender with shredded paper for the applied substance. In their ordinary use as actual newsprint or advertising, these structural components are flat, but the artist incorporates the regular columns of typography and imagery as a counterpoint to the thrusts and arcs of the faux calligraphy, while the papier-mache adds texture. At times the text is plainly visible but it also seeps through, suggesting a territory beyond. Without offering a stable point of reference, Chang revels in the fluidity of consciousness. to be continued...
-Stephanie Grilli