Mythos of Lost Dynasties, Form H-16

Gu Wenda’s Mythos of Lost Dynasties series simultaneously draws on and negates history and meaning. The character-like forms resemble ancient Chinese seal script and are created with ink, the material used by scholars to chronicle history. However, they are not readable words—they are pseudocharacters invented by the artist. They follow a certain logic: Gu devised basic forms labeled A through H, then created many numbered variations in each category. Yet, despite being systematic, the shapes are empty of meaning, offering a void instead of a word and silence instead of sound. Gu developed these characters while considering the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s work on language and its inability to convey meaning. For this series, Gu also drew on his own experience with the use of language as visual propaganda during the Cultural Revolution.