High Noon

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High Noon

Artist Yun-Fei Ji (Chinese-American, born 1963)

Date2017

Dimensions67 1/8 × 33 1/4 in. (170.5 × 84.5 cm)
Framed: 70 1/4 x 36 1/2 in.

MediumInk and watercolor on Xuan paper

ClassificationDrawings

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott and Gift of Mrs. Henry Goldman, by exchange

Object number

2018.6

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Label TextYun-Fei Ji’s hybrid visual language masterfully comments on contemporary issues of environmental crisis, geographical displacement, and the remaking of place. In this seemingly serene landscape, ghosts, horrified at the current situation, have come out at “high noon” to express their concern about climate change and other catastrophic events. Ji’s subject matter, drawn from long-standing Chinese traditions and popular folklore, is inspired by memories of his grandmother entertaining him with cultural stories. He often incorporates ghosts, prevalent in such fables, as a metaphor to “satirize human problems and issues.” By adapting both his classical training in traditional Chinese brush-and-ink painting methods and the characters from his grandmother’s tales, Ji exposes the dark side of industrial development on contemporary life.