The Resolution of the Paradox

Words for Yeon-Tak Chang’s Sculpture

Yeon-Tak Chang has a deep awareness of the balance
between kinetic and potential energy. The concepts of freedom
and flight are opposed to the density of stone, yet
Chang succeeds in releasing marble from its gravitational pull
and his forms appear to fly and dance.

Working without models, he works into and around the
material towards the resolution of the paradox that such a
dense material appears so mobile. These free forms tease
with hints of the actual – a waterfall, a dancing woman, a
moving cloud, or an echo of a composite form.

However, they are none of these. The pieces stop before the
fact of representation or go past that embryonic moment to
an alternative state of renewal. His works are caught in a
moment of transition. Just as the sculptor is, the viewer is
forced to think about space, energy, and their own
consciousness.

Chang comments: “I rediscover my recurring inner dialogue.
My sculpture echoes the process of tuning in to myself.”

Doug L. Robinson, Sculptor
April 1982

This article is reproduced from the 1996 publication “Silent Echo”
featuring works by Yeon-Tak Chang.