From Yang Yongliang “Phantom Landscape III - Triptych” 2007, inkjet print on paper (giclée), 200 x 50 cm

Works by Yang Yongliang, a contemporary artist from China, are on view in a special exhibition at the Museum Volkenkunde in The National Museum of Ethnology, the Netherlands, from March 14 to May 7, 2023.

Yang Yongliang, a leading contemporary Chinese artist in the field of photography, studied traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting, culminating in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), and is known for his use of digital techniques in landscape painting.

The National Museum of Ethnology has now acquired "Phantom Landscape III - Triptych", created in 2007. The mountains, the river, and the fantastical haze are reminiscent of ancient landscape paintings, but the rock surface is composed of skyscrapers, steel towers, cranes, roads, and other elements that symbolize the modern age.

Yang Yongliang “Phantom Landscape III - Triptych” 2007, inkjet print on paper (giclée), 200 x 50 cm

Wayne Modest, Director of The National Museum of Ethnology, which owns the work, said, "We are honored to have acquired the work of the artist Yang Yongliang. The work is simple, yet has strong connections to our current collection, including references to Chinese landscape painting. Yang Yongliang's commitment to technique and his exploration and mobilization of traditional techniques are also important to us," he said of the work's significance. (Translated from comments in Dutch)

Yang Yongliang's "Phantom Landscape III - Triptych," which seems to be a warning against unrestrained urbanization and the destruction of nature, will be on view until May 7, 2023.

Exhibition Information
Dates: March 14 - May 7, 2023
Venue: National Museum of Ethnology
Address: Steenstraat 1, 2312 BS Leiden, The Netherlands

For the latest information, please visit the museum's official website.