Repetition of closed space and the creation of a monster. An obsessive-compulsive structuralist's statement.

Ban Ejung, Art critic

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The series clung under the theme <The End of the World> can be easily converged and remembered by one icon. The precipitous dark puddle, emphasized in particular via perspective composition, is the provision to the entirety of <The End of the World>. Rather, the dark puddle and the hexahedron encompassing it, as a whole make up an icon. This series has, supposedly, completed a formative story that forebodes an apocalyptic end; the unfathomable dark puddle agape like an unpredictable volcano threatening to put an end to this world. Such is how <The End of the World> is perceived. <The End of the World> accentuates and reinforces the near view puddle through a two point perspective, and the distant view with a one point perspective. Subtle variations to, and repetition of, the black puddle can be read as a visualization of doom, while the rectangular vanishing point that begins at the top center of the frame, one that is replete with claustrophobia, leading to the depth, resembles an ominous black hole which at any moment will engulf whatever lies in its wake. <The End of the World> employs a mix of one point perspective and two point perspective, aggravating the density of anxiety pertaining to solitary confinement, thus such spatial composition has a much higher chance of conveying its narrative fully by reiterating minute modulations rather than existing as a single piece.

Composition of the iconography found in <The End of the World> is that of a view directed toward a sealed hexahedron. Such iconography has left numerous silent traces in past works. <Resistance Line>(2009) and <Sound, Released from Its Boundaries>(2008), both single pieces, feature similar compositions to that of <The End of the World>. It is also worth noting that said icon even appeared in the left-hand corner of the gargantuan <Revealing Mouth>(2009), intervening as a component. Previously sidelined to a secondary role, this indoor hexahedron began gaining prominence in 2010 when <The End of the World> series bestowed a leading role which it now thrives in. 

Precedents of this iconography – repetition of identical forms upon frames – can be observed consistently in past works of Jangpa(b. 1981). The presence of the mysterious lone brick house at the top of a high horizon is felt throughout repeatedly in the short repertoire of the artist, in fact often enough to feel familiar. This icon of an inner space has appeared in <The End of the World> along with <Revealing Mouth>(2009), featuring the house in starring roles on successive occasions all the while applying slight tonal and compositional variations. <Everyone could only say that it was a frantic summer>(2009), <Red Brick House>(2008) that was a piece that put together four brick houses of four different colors, and <Your Left Side>(2010) where the artist is looking at a brick house from the passenger seat of a vehicle are all part of a large body of theme and variations.

One formative icon we must not miss amongst others that are so often reproduced in Jangpa’s works, is the unidentified gray dog rooting the garden with its forepaws in <The Cycle of Violence>(2008) which was part of the series <A Secret Room of Plants>. Its mouth recalls that of the monster in the classic SF flick <Alien> and the genital, perhaps to point out a state of excitement, is embarrassingly red. This freak of a dog iconography also appears in the series <A Secret Room of Plants>(2008) which consisted of sixteen paintings that made up a mosaic, <Look at the microscopic and enormous world they perceive!>(2008), and finally in <The Obligation of a Witness> an installation piece suggestive of stage art where it took part in the form of a crude figurine.

<The End of the World> gains aesthetic persuasiveness with each iteration of its apocalyptic iconography(2010) that is the hexahedron in black and white together with the dark puddle. The message behind the iconography of the unidentified dog with a monstrous(2008), no doubt benefitted from repeated exposures in improving its ability to convey a cryptic meaning. Janga’s strategy of reiterating an elaborate iconography serves the purpose of imprinting the image to the viewers’ memory, and also to augment the authority of the icon. Why does Jangpa adhere so closely to repetition of icons? An obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by repeating specific acts to avoid certain compulsions. Repetition temporarily shuts out the cause of anxiety; however those acts are only effective for a limited duration of time, for it cannot eliminate the responsible source. Thus there is a loop.

In <A Secret Room of Plants>, an earlier work of Jangpa, circumstances surrounding the artist is stated quite thoroughly in the artist’s notes. In short, it is an account of how a family member suffering from a mental disorder treated unjustly by society, takes reprisal on acquaintances(including the artist). Witnessing the uncomfortable vicious cycle first hand became a motivation for the artist(though to what extent the artist suffered is unknown). Perhaps an attempt at a belated self-consolation, the artist, having experienced discrimination and violence that ensues from perceived normalcy at vicinity – the bounds of family life – expressed impressions in the most roundabout manner. However the artist’s notes do not go into deeper details. It is a pain that must be resolved, but at the same time a fact one would rather hide. The paintings, like the artist’s notes, refrain from explicit recounts. Additional statements by Jangpa would be required in order to fully grasp an accurate account. Although the inner workings have been obscured on purpose, the imprinting effect on the viewer is significant. This would be due to the shock factor derived from the artist’s iconography and its repeated use. Despite the obvious yearning to tell a story(a woe that one wishes to plead), the artist presents an ambiguous proxy(the fact one wishes to hide). The artist’s proxy appears either as an frightening organic monster(the dog from <A Secret Room of Plants>), or an inorganic form(inner space of the hexahedron with a hole in <The End of the World>) that emphasizes something through repetition. The artist’s concrete past is transforms into reiterations of obscure icons, which the viewer remembers as a silent abstract monument. Such is the fearsome power of compulsion. In Jangpa’s relatively early works, before 2008, the artist hinted at a desire to tell a story; however instead of a direct statement in pictures, a roundabout route of lengthy descriptive titling was chosen. <Look at the microscopic and enormous world they perceive!> is one example of a verbose imperative sentence that conspicuously expresses intent, and another is the catalogue containing a much larger amount of commentary by the artist than the norm.

The artist’s refusal of ‘societal norms’ – that obstinately divides and discriminates what is normal or abnormal – is presented in <A Secret Room of Plants> by amalgamating opposing stereotypes. Inflicting versus being harmed, normal versus abnormal, conception versus abstraction, and clarity of narrative versus visual obscurity were all mixed together. According the the personal history of Janpga, the dog which should be the victim is portrayed as a perpetrator in the picture, contrary to the viewer’s inference. Not only that, the artist claims “the element of storytelling isn’t all that important”(excerpt from a joint exhibition catalogue in 2009). That was not the first time distrust toward authoritative disciplines and system surfaced. It was seen in a much earlier work. Green ambition can be seen in <Art Bible>(2006), a piece in which Jangpa likens the absolute authority of institutional theory over visual arts to that of dogmatic scriptures. That piece could be read as the starting point of this artist’s journey which leads to <The End of the World>.

The first step of the journey, <Art Bible>, was an installation that expressed discomfort at subordinate relationship between works of art and institutional art theory. The road lead to <A Secret Room of Plants> in which irrationalities within the family, itself a space-time of subjective agreements, are projected. In <A Secret Room of Plants> specific subjects(e.g. the dog and plants) appear to substitute statement; but an obscure narrative was chosen ‘deliberately’ in favor of metaphoric visual impact, forfeiting detailed statement. We now arrive at <The End of the World>, a point where the interest of the artist has expanded to systemic irrationalities of the world. The pictures contain less detail than earlier paintings, yet the abstractness of sealed geometric space and an unknown dark puddle that is difficult to cope with, engulfs all meaning meant to be conveyed. The complex multifaceted statement of the artist converge to one simple structure(icon). Minute repetition of the puddle, vanishing point and closed space is either a structure depicting irrationalities of a world that is heading to its end as the title suggests, or perhaps the a structure is a contraption the artist has built up to put an end to the irrational world itself. A lucid artist’s statement and an obscure body of work to which it was projected. The two become one in a huge structure and replicate. Jangpa, who casts doubt on the structural irrationalities, is trying to become an aesthetic structuralist.