From Tao to Canvas: Tang Chang's Unseen Art Revealed in Bangkok

Art enthusiasts now have an all-too-rare opportunity to view paintings by Tang Chang (also known as Chang See-tang) after a 12-year absence from public display.

This exhibition is particularly special, as it features the Sino-Thai artist’s largest painting created before 1965, which is being displayed to the public for the first time.

Previously, Chang’s monumental work – 8.88 x 2 meters – was only seen by a select few at his family’s residence in 1965.

Now, it is being exhibited at Bangkok Kunsthalle in Bangkok’s Chinatown, in an exhibition titled “Calligraphic Abstraction” by Tang Chang.

The painting is displayed on the second floor of Bangkok Kunsthalle, a heritage building formerly known as the Thai Wattana Panich building.

Chang’s work is presented in a dynamic, exhibition-meets-restoration setting. Over four months, visitors can observe the artwork up close and witness experts restoring this priceless piece firsthand.

Restoration in progress: Chang's painting in a dynamic exhibition-meets-restoration setting.// Photo courtesy of Bangkok Kunsthalle

After nearly six decades, Chang’s dormant masterpiece is being revived at Bangkok Kunsthalle. In collaboration with Restaurateurs Sans Frontières, the six-month exhibition features its progressive restoration—a live artistic performance and act of healing central to the gallery’s program.

Chang’s largest painting, created using his hands as tools, exemplifies gestural abstraction.

Chang's gestural abstraction: Using hands as tools to express raw energy.//Photo: Samatcha Apaisuwan

These works emphasize the physical movement of his body, featuring broad, expressive strokes and dynamic marks that capture the energy of his gestures.

His works from this period share similarities with Action Painting, a subset of gestural abstraction seen in paintings by artists like Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, but with a distinct personal and cultural context.

A close inspection reveals traces of Chang’s palms and fingers on the canvas. This work was created before 1965, a time when Chang struggled financially as an artist.

However, he persevered, finding meditation in his work.

Chang's meditative paint mixing induced ekaggata—a single-minded concentration—fueling his energetic, action-painting style.

This allowed him to channel and externalize energy onto the canvas, resulting in pure abstraction marked by his physical gestures—brushstrokes, handprints, and impasto—"a direct transmission of mind.”

“It wasn’t normal paint,” says Mark Chearavanont, the exhibition’s curator, noting that Chang used an affordable epoxy-based paint typically used for boats to create this large piece.

Curator Mark Chearavanont discusses Tang Chang’s unique artistic vision.//Photo: Veena Thoopkrajae

Unlike other Thai abstract artists who adopted Western styles, Chang’s abstract works originated from his deep-rooted Chinese background.

The artist went deep in his studies of Taoism. “He was the first to translate Taoist texts. After completing his Taoist studies, he began working on this collection. Prior to this, he focused on Buddhism,” Mark explains.

Chang's 1970’s translations of the “Dao De Jing” and Shitao’s work were pivotal, merging Daoist and Chan Buddhist concepts with his Theravada background, shaping his unique spirituality.

Notably, he equated “Dao” with “Dharma” in his “Dao De Jing” translation.

The exhibition at Bangkok Kunsthalle offers a typological selection of Chang’s oeuvre on the first floor, focusing on the interplay between calligraphic practice and abstract painting.

A typological selection of Chang's works on the first floor, exploring calligraphic abstraction.//Photo: Samatcha Apaisuwan

The ground floor displays nearly a hundred of his works, reflecting Taoist influences. His brushstrokes and ink on paper convey a sense of spontaneity and natural flow.

The ground floor features Chang's 1971-72 calligraphic works, categorized as “characters” (near-Chinese script) and “poems” (poetic syntax), which reveal his distinct artistic and spiritual process.

Characters," bordering on Chinese script, reveal Chang's artistic and spiritual process//Photo: Veena Thoopkrajae


“Each piece was created in a flash. His son told me that Chang would hold the paper as he moved his brush. Any work he disliked, he simply tore up,” says Mark.

Chang’s small paintings express ideas developed from his deep study of Buddhism and Taoism, which share similar philosophical directions.

Some paintings resemble Chinese calligraphy, but upon closer inspection, they are not exact Chinese characters, instead representing the artist’s expression and interpretation.

“We intended to display these works in this room, which aligns with the building’s historical background as an old printing house. The artworks and the space interact with each other,” says Mark.

The exhibition's setting: Aligning Chang's art with the building's historical printing heritage.//Photo: Samatcha Apaisuwan

Visitors are encouraged to walk along the long display table, experiencing the fluidity of Chang’s works.

“According to Taoist understanding, the supernatural world and the real world are essentially the same,” says Mark.

If you go

“Calligraphic Abstraction” by Tang Chang runs until July 13 at Bangkok Kunsthalle. The exhibition is open Wednesday to Sunday from 2 to 8pm. Bangkok Kunsthalle is located at 599 Pantachit Alley, Maitri Chit Road and is accessible by MRT, Hua Lamphong station.