Jun Yang's 'The Emperor of China's Ice' blends children's book and catalogue for Austrian sculpture project

Jun Yang's publication 'The Emperor of China's Ice' merges a catalogue with a children's book format, exploring the myth behind his 2018 installation at the Austrian Sculpture Park in Graz. The work involved burying a large ice block in winter and excavating it the following spring to serve as shaved ice. Illustrated by Yuuki Nishimura, the book depicts a child emperor in ancient Beijing seeking relief from summer heat, leading to the invention of ice storage and shaved desserts. An annotated map traces the spread of such treats to Japan and Ancient Rome, with Marco Polo later bringing gelato from China to Italy. Timelines in the book range from vague references to specific dates like 37–68 CE for Italy and the eleventh century for Japan. The publication critiques an analytical text by sculpture park director Elisabeth Fiedler as redundant. Jun Yang, an Austrian artist born in China, divides his time between Vienna, Taipei, and Yokohama, where his daughters live, influencing his interest in Japanese picture books. The book maintains conceptual simplicity while incorporating fairytale elements, published by Verlag für Moderne Kunst at €15 in hardcover and reviewed by Nirmala Devi in the Spring 2020 issue of ArtReview Asia.