TJA LING, ABCOUDE
http://www.tjaling.comBefore I Was Born
Drawings of a family history
In "Before I Was Born," Tja Ling illustrates the story of her family’s journey from China to The Netherlands, between the 1930s and 1970s, in 14 interconnected pencil drawings. Out of respect and admiration for the way her (grand)-parents built a life for themselves with all the challenges they have had to face, migrating without any formal education or knowledge of the local language. These drawings are a chronicle of pride, strength and respect—narrative of a child discovering why her parents are the way they are, why they did what they did and how, ultimately, their experiences were destined to shape her, even before she was born.
🔥 PROMO OFFER 🔥
Enter PROMO CODE with your order to receive a small original drawing made by the artist
Tja Ling Hu is a visual artist and illustrator based in The Netherlands. She studied Fashion Communication in Utrecht after which she discovered her passion for drawing. In 2011, she decided to study illustration at the Luca School of Arts in Ghent, where she completed a Masters in Fine Arts in 2016. A year later, she won the Fiep Westendorp Stimuleringsprijs with her project "Before I Was Born." In 2020, she showed the completed project in the Amsterdam Museum together with a publication of the work. She received grants from Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie and Stichting Stokroos. Her drawings have been shown at the Vriend van Bavink gallery, This Art Fair, Art on Paper, among others. In addition to her personal work, she also works on commission. Her clients include NRC, Rose Stories, Muze, de Morgen.
01“BEFORE I WAS BORN” LEPORELLO ART BOOK
Publication / different sorts of paper / 23x17 cm / 2020 / edition of 700
Price 32,00 €
In "Before I Was Born," Tja Ling illustrates the story of her family’s journey from China to The Netherlands, between the 1930s and 1970s, in 14 interconnected pencil drawings.
These drawings are a chronicle of pride, strength and respect—narrative of a child discovering why her parents are the way they are, why they did what they did and how, ultimately, their experiences were destined to shape her, even before she was born.
The unique binding method ensures that all drawings are connected without the interruption of a page border. When fully opened, the book measures 4.75m in length. Due to the leporello binding, the book can be browsed in 2 directions. There are 2 ‘sides’ to the book, just as there are 2 sides to every story.