In ten paintings on panel, Julie Chang interprets the early
Buddhist "Ox-Herding Pictures" describing the path to
enlightenment. While the first depictions can be traced to
the 12th Century Chinese Zen master Kuoan Shiyuan,
Chang's translation is rooted in her experience as a first
generation Chinese-American growing up in Orange County,
California.

Recycled imagery — from old family photos, textile design,
pop culture, even the logo on Chinese take-out bags —
forms the basis for much of Chang’s work. She creates
patterns by combining decorative Chinese flourishes with
early 20th-century European wallpaper design, which are
then imbedded with images of significance from her life —
images that, imprinted in memory, have contributed to the
formation of her identity. These include oil derricks and
palm trees from her Southern Californian upbringing, the
stern face of her father, silhouettes of herself from
childhood photos, Asian strippers, and engagement rings.

Intertwined within these patterns, the metaphors of the
ox-herding story appear. A child progresses through ten
stages, beginning with the search for the ox, which
represents the true, essential self, and culminating in
transcendence of the self in the recognition of the unity
and inherent perfection of all things. For Chang, taking on
the challenge of exemplifying these stages reflects a shift in
her artistic practice from a focus on the past towards an
integration of self-knowledge in the present. Paradoxically,
while the ox-herd eventually loses himself in the path to
enlightenment, Chang has in fact discovered more of
herself in deciphering the process.

Julie Chang received her MFA from Stanford in 2007 and is
currently an artist in residence at the Headlands Center for
the Arts in Sausalito, CA.