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2009 l Jason Waite l Agonistic Aesthetic: Chang Jia 
Agonistic aesthetic: Chang Jia
Jason Waite

Intractable, intransigent, uncompromising, unyielding only begin to describe the geography of the work that Chang Jia has produced over the past decade. Hers is a practice of standpoints; taking a position, defending a position, articulating a position. Finding a circumstance and committing with the body, while employing language, historical research and a certain amount of playfulness. The diverse production of Chang is constantly encountering the taboo. Those images and topics which we prefer to keep private and parts of ourselves which prefer to remain out of sight, Urinating, fetish pleasure, and penis size are a few of the myriad of areas that are out of bounds for society and yet constantly in play for Chang.
While standing firm in her positions, Chang installations, videos, photographs performances and sculptures are able to navigate this uneasy terrain with an appeal that overcomes confrontation and in its place fosters congress. The works transcend the sphere of scandal and embrace an intimacy that is honest. A candor which clears the air of preconceived notions and prejudice, to provide a space where one can ponder what which usually remains out of sight.. 
What becomes apparent in Chang¡¯s aesthetic sensibility is her ability to reconcile these outlying topics with that which is visible and readily apparent. It is this agonism, which does not insist on a divide between what we keep hidden and that which is public but rather as Chantal Mouffe would argue, ¡°the ¡®them¡¯ is not the constitutive opposite of a concrete ¡®us¡¯, but the symbol of what makes any ¡®us¡¯¡± possible. That which lies at the edge of society can be representative of society itself, while not losing its autonomy or sacrificing its imminence. By bringing forth and putting in plain sight that which is confidential she is able to give a voice to those moments of intimacy, and help constitute meaning in otherwise seemingly senseless acts.  This bridging momentarily in ¡°conflicted consensus,¡± can be seen as her unique agonistic aesthetic. 
Speaking on beauty Umberto Eco notes, while ¡°beauty is a series of measurements and strict proportions, ugliness is infinite and free.¡± Chang addresses these irreconcilably positions as a process of fluid inversions in her recent series Beautiful Instruments. Focusing on fetish objects which liberate one¡¯s desires through masochism or the accompanying sadistic execution of torture, she adorns the objects themselves. For example a cat o¡¯ nine tails is refashioned, the knotted ropes replaced with jeweled necklaces, elsewhere a utilitarian paddle is embellished with intricate fine wood carvings. The result is a material seduction, however, one that creates a conflict between use and form. The horror of the perceived brutality of the object¡¯s function is asked to be reconciled with the alluring appeal of its ornamentation. These contrasting sentiments of process and presentation are also embedded in the metal high-heeled shoe an example of the harsh regiment of beauty, which conforms and contorts the figure to appeal to the mass fetishization of the market of appearance.
Rather than strategies Chang expresses a certain attitude, one that can be found in the defiant films of Alejandro Jodorowsky and the mesmerizing stories of Kafka: a staunch individualism that is defined by commitment and an honesty, no matter how brutal at times. Her pragmatic work propels us with such force, we might not know what to expect next, however we will always be able to tell where Chang Jia is standing.
  
Agonistic aesthetic: Chang Jia
Jason Waite
 
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