Here in the Static

2021
Ink on paper
47 x 65 in | 119.38 x 165.1 cm

The handwritten statement I am still here is repeated to generate a kinetic effect that lies somewhere between the linguistic and abstract. While living in New York City during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chang created a five-inch stamp of this visitor response from her installation work and imprinted it thousands of times for one year until it evolved into a backbone of vows that invoke presence, a signal cutting through the noise of modern life. The work is informed by the enduring use of Chinese seals as a form of signature and the calligraphic discipline of replicating venerated texts as an act of mastery. Chang combined these practices into a ritual to contemplate her relationship with distraction and fortitude.