Jun Yang’s monograph is a series of six books, which altogether form one monograph, though it might be surprising when looking at all issues. Formats, papers, covers, printing techniques, and most importantly, the name of the artist change: from June Young, Yang Jun, Tun Yang, Jan Jung to Yi Chuan, and Jun Yang. The six-part monograph is structured alongside key issues and key projects the artist has done over the past eighteen years.
According to its general definition, a monograph is a specialist work of writing on a single subject, usually by a single author. This is also the case here: the subject is the work of Jun Yang and the monograph is overseen by one editor, yet many authors write. However, the comprehensive Monograph-Project is not an overly ambitious monograph that celebrates one artist’s work—on the contrary, it challenges the genre of monographs, monographic and biographic writing centred round the persona of one artist and his oeuvre. The emphasis is placed on various subjects, all the more, the project suggests “different” artists by varying the name of Jun Yang. Monograph and biography turn themselves into subjects of examination.
Although different in content, format, materiality, design, and—not to forget— the slightly changing name of the artist, the single books will be interrelated: projects, aspects, and visual elements will be taken up time and again, reframed and re-discussed from different angles. Again, gaps are deliberately produced to keep the entire monograph as fragmented and fragile as the issues related to it.
The concept has been developed by Jun Yang and Barbara Steiner, and translated into a visual format by Oliver Klimpel. The Monograph Project is published with Jovis Verlag (Berlin).
Volume 1-3 published 2015.
Volume 4-6 published 2018.
Book 1: June Young, Book 2: Yang Jun, Book 3: Tun Yang; 2015
Book 4: Jan Jung, Book 5: Yi Chuan, Book 6: Jun Yang; 2018
Volume 4 focuses on Jun Yang’s socio-political projects. They address xenophobia, nationalism, gentrification, and China’s striving for power in the Southeast Pacific. It also introduces Yang’s realized and not realized projects in public areas. With text contributions by Claudia Büttner, Martin Fritz, Holger Kube Ventura, Jeff Leung, Barbara Steiner, Jun Yang.
Volume 5 centers on the artist’s personality, alter egos, double and plural identities. With text contributions by Yuki Okumura, Andreas Spiegl, Barbara Steiner, Jun Yang.
Volume 6 considers various forms of cooperation. Changes in authorship, breaches in identity construction, reflections on the roles of artist, designer, and editor form the conclusion to the Monograph Projects. With text contributions by Oliver Klimpel, Barbara Steiner, Jun Yang.
The Forking Paths
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