Skip Navigation

Celestial Chaos No. 3

Tai Xiangzhou

Asian Art

Celestial Chaos embodies the basic ideas of Chinese cosmology, in which the ever-moving cyclical universe continues to change according to a consistent pattern that is discernible by human beings. People can understand the patterns of the universe as a whole by focusing on the changes taking place within its parts: observing the celestial realms and the seasons, practicing dream divination, and manipulating the hexagrams of the I Ching (Classic of Changes). In Tai Xiangzhou’s turbulent cosmos, surging meteorites enter the Earth’s atmosphere, as surrounding gases cause them to glow brightly. Tai uses antique ink from the Qianlong period (1736–95) in his masterful monochromatic play on silk. While the artist makes references to earlier traditions of Chinese painting, with his materials and techniques, the dynamic combination of light and dark ink with layers of ink wash conveys the high-pressure air in front of the meteors as they come hurtling toward Earth through mist and clouds.
MEDIUM Ink on silk, mounted flat
DATES 2014
DIMENSIONS image: 38 3/4 × 77 3/16 in. (98.4 × 196.1 cm) mount: 46 13/16 × 86 5/8 in. (118.9 × 220 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Asian Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 2018.26
CREDIT LINE Gift of Kathleen Yang in memory of Denis C. Yang
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Horizontal ink painting of swirling clouds and more sharply delineated meteorites.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Tai Xiangzhou (Chinese, born 1968). Celestial Chaos No. 3, 2014. Ink on silk, mounted flat, image: 38 3/4 × 77 3/16 in. (98.4 × 196.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Kathleen Yang in memory of Denis C. Yang, 2018.26. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: , 2018.26_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 2018.26_PS9.jpg., 2019
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT © artist or artist's estate
The Brooklyn Museum holds a non-exclusive license to reproduce images of this work of art from the rights holder named here. The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org. If you wish to contact the rights holder for this work, please email copyright@brooklynmuseum.org and we will assist if we can.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
Tai Xiangzhou (Chinese, born 1968). <em>Celestial Chaos No. 3</em>, 2014. Ink on silk, mounted flat, image: 38 3/4 × 77 3/16 in. (98.4 × 196.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Kathleen Yang in memory of Denis C. Yang, 2018.26. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: , 2018.26_PS9.jpg)