DSL Collection

"Small Investment, Big Profit", is a series of four calligraphies, Sha Yeya created as inscriptions for the "5th Ink Painting Biennial: Ink, Life, Taste" in Shenzhen (Decembre 2006). These short texts describe ways to make easy money in contemporary Chinese society, like for example: selling wife and children. The artist's sarcastic comment on Chinese society is written in a coarse calligraphy, reminding on contemporary graffiti. Yet, the overall appearance of the work is reminiscent of the refined literati aesthetics. The witty combination of traditional aesthetics and form with contemporary concept and details is also evident in the seals Sha Yeya used to identify his work: the title is printed as a big square relief seal, while a second seal resembles full, half-full, or empty batteries.
Martina Koppel Jiechang