Artist Yang Fudong Summons the Future in One of His Biggest Exhibitions in China

"In his third year of college, the artist Yang Fudong decided to stop speaking. For what became Otherwhere: Not Speaking for Three Months (1993), he communicated largely by writing on his hand or signage. Sometimes he even traced his finger on a cold window and breathed to reveal the words outlined by condensation. Near the end of his period of silence, he wanted his first words to be something profound."

"He took a bus to the Tiantong Temple on the outskirts of the southern Chinese city Ningbo and stayed in its guesthouse overnight. In the morning, a monk asked who he was looking for. Worried he might be mistaken for a thief, his first words were, "Where's the toilet?" "I suppose it was philosophical, in a sense," Yang, now 54, said with a smile."

""Many things can't be planned," he said. That instinctive, unpremeditated approach extends from his early works into his latest works. Near the entrance stood Private Notes from a Land of Bliss (2025), a 15-panel installation that includes videos, paintings, and photographs. It will be shown in an exhibition that features mostly new works at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, opening November 22."

Yang Fudong practiced extended silence early in his career, communicating through hand-written notes, signage, and condensation messages. He ended a three-month vow of silence with an unassuming question at Tiantong Temple. Silence and unpremeditated choices remain central to his cinematic and installation work, which commonly minimizes dialogue. His studio, located in the complex attached to the Shanghai Museum of Glass, contains props, calligraphy practice, and photographic references to past films. New work includes Private Notes from a Land of Bliss (2025), a 15-panel installation of videos, paintings, and photographs to be shown at UCCA in Beijing beginning November 22.

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