The Garden of Double Happiness
Yun-Fei Ji, Chinese, born 1963
2001
Two panels of ink and mineral pigment on mulberry pigment
Overall: 24 1/16 × 109 1/2 × 2 in. (61.1 × 278.1 × 5.1 cm)
Overall: 24 1/8 × 108 1/2 × 2 in. (61.3 × 275.6 × 5.1 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Gift of Ninah and Michael Lynne
2018.37.422ab
Geography
Place Made: China, East Asia, Asia
Period
21st century
Object Name
Drawing
Research Area
Drawing
Not on view
Label
In Yun-Fei Ji’s contemporary landscape, humans coexist with ghosts and spirits even within a highly modernized society. In this long scroll, divided into two panels here, Ji’s supernatural figures are composed of both human and animal body parts. Their grotesque shapes and exaggerated gestures distinguish this painting from traditional Chinese landscapes, which often convey a tranquil and leisurely atmosphere. By summoning these mythical creatures to his contemporary landscape, Ji sought to raise awareness of the social and political issues of our time, such as nuclear tension, war, and environmental crises.
From the 2024 exhibition Attitude of Coexistence: Non-Humans in East Asian Art, curated by Haely Chang, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Associate Curator of East Asian Art
Course History
Art History 63.02, Why Are Museums...?, Mary Coffey, Spring 2026
Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 51.11, Religion 2.02, Religions of Vietnam, Sara Swenson, Winter 2025
Geography 3.01, Living with Nature, Coleen Fox, Winter 2025
Philosophy 50.18, Animal Minds, Tina Rosenqvist, Winter 2025
Religion 40.08, Fear & Loathing in Religion, MK Long, Winter 2025
Art History 63.02, Why Are Museums…?, Mary Coffey, Spring 2025
Italian 1.01, Introductory Italian I, Floriana Ciniglia, Spring 2025
Italian 2.01, Introductory Italian II, Marco D'Angelo, Spring 2025
Religion 1.13, Sacred Movement, Robert Weiner, Spring 2025
Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages 70.24, Asian American Art and Architecture, Sujin Eom, Spring 2025
College Course 26.01, What’s in Your Toolbox?, Casey Aldrich and Mokhtar Bouba, Fall 2025
Comparative Literature 55.03, Asian Societies, Culture, and Language 60.10, Eco-Fiction: Stories of Ghosts and Other Beings from Premodern China, Yiren Zheng, Fall 2025
Special Tour: Attitude of Coexistence and Beyond the Bouquet, Winter 2025
Exhibition Tour: Attitudes of Coexistence and Beyond the Bouquet, Winter 2026
Exhibition History
A Brush with History: Contemporary Artists and Chinese Tradition, The Newark Museum, April 23 - July 6, 2003
Attitude of Coexistence: Non-humans in East Asian Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 16, 2024-March 5, 2025.
Provenance
Pierogi, Brooklyn, New York, date unknown; Anonymous gift; given to present collection, 2018.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu