Land of Fire series (1999)

On the night of the “921” Earthquake (September 21, 1999), I was awakened by the intense shaking of the earth. Things had fallen or moved away from their normal places. In shock, I went and checked the altar to find tears all over the face of the copper statue of Buddha. I brought the candle up close and looked three times in case of hallu-cination. Each time I only found more tears. The first thought that came to my mind was the unimaginably large number of casualties this earthquake must have caused. Outside, in complete blackout, the city was filled with the continual wailing of the sirens of fire engines and ambulances.
Three days after the earthquake, I led a team of supervisors from the branches of the Youth Career Development Association, where I served as director, to join the relief force. We visited some of the most afflicted towns and communities: Puli, Zhongxing New Village, Zhongliao, and Jiji, where we witnessed the formidable power of natural disasters and the revealed vulnerability of human beings and civilizations. In deep sorrow and compassion, I therefore created a series of paintings that I titled Land of Fire. It contains my hope that, following this unprecedented earthquake, Taiwan could receive in exchange hundreds of years of peace and safety.
— Yahon Chang