Ink Worlds : Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang

Ink arts have flourished in China for more than two millennia. Once primarily associated with elite culture, ink painting is now undergoing a popular resurgence. Ink Worlds explores the modern evolution of this art form, from scrolls and panel paintings to photographic and video forms, and documents how Chinese ink arts speak to present-day concerns while simultaneously referencing deeply historical materials, themes, and techniques.

Presenting the work of some two dozen artists from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States in more than 100 full-color reproductions, the book spans pioneering abstract work from the late 1960s through twenty-first century technological innovations. Nine illustrated essays build a compelling case for understanding the modern form as a distinct genre, fusing art and science, history and technology, painting and film into an accessible theory of contemporary ink painting.

The Yamazaki/Yang collection is widely recognized as one of the most important private collections of contemporary Chinese ink art. Ink Worlds is the first book to represent the collection from the perspective of contemporary art history. From its atmospheric mountainscapes to precise calligraphy, this book is a revelation, bringing together the past, present, and future of an enduring and adaptable art form.

Richard Vinograd is the Christensen Fund Professor in Asian Art at Stanford University. Ellen Huang is Curatorial Fellow for Asian Arts at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University. Bay Area entrepreneur and Stanford University trustee Jerry Yang and his wife Akiko Yamazaki are the primary lenders of the Ink Worlds exhibition. This book is published to accompany an exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University.