Fred H.C. Liang

Liang (b. 1964, Wuhan, China) makes work that incorporates drawing, sculpture, and interactive installation, using sources including the traditional art of Chinese paper cut (jian zhi) and Song Dynasty scroll paintings. Recognizing deep differences between Eastern and Western philosophy, but also uncovering areas of overlap, Liang makes connections that seek to bridge these seemingly oppositional perspectives.

In in his most recent work Liang ponders the theory of “agent causation” proposed by philosopher Roderick Chisholm in 1964, which views the self as a free entity unaffected by historical events. This view contrasts with the Eastern veneration of ancestors and the value placed on sacrifice in the present for the sake of the future.

Liang explores these ideas through three intertwined points of entry: a lost language referred to as Nu Shu, or woman’s writing, created and used exclusively by women in a remote part of China; the promised gift of a mysterious box from the artist’s mother to his daughter; and a family tree inscribed in a book noting all the artist’s male family members dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The rich connections between genders and generations, forged over time and through language, speak to the artist’s interest in lost histories and
ongoing stories.

Liang received a BFA from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg in 1989 and an MFA from Yale University School of Art in 1991. He is a Professor in the Fine Arts 2D Department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

LINKS
Carroll and Sons Art Gallery