Gao Minglu

Zhang Hao has long explored the contemporary transformation of ink art. Unlike most ink painters who start with landscape imagery, he grounds his practice in brushstrokes and lines—the most fundamental elements of Chinese ink. Lines and brushwork constitute the origin of Chinese art, shared by writing, calligraphy and painting. This defines a core trait of Chinese art: its primary aim is not mere figuration, but embodied contemplation. Through integrated engagement of medium, physical practice and meditation, one comprehends the world.

In the exhibition’s Language section, Zhang Hao presents short phrases, rewritten ancient stone inscriptions and classical poems. Visitors may mistake this for a conventional calligraphy show, yet his focus lies far beyond calligraphic styles. He investigates the primal origins of writing culture. Xu Shen stated that “writing is imitation”. Here, “writing” does not solely refer to calligraphy, but the primordial script created by Cang Jie to name all living things. “Imitation” means mirroring the myriad forms of the cosmos. His one hundred versions of the character Yong break free from the Eight Principles of Yong, the foundational stroke system of traditional calligraphy. Executed at distinct moments, these diverse renditions reconstruct hypothetical primitive forms of Yong, forming his personal conjecture on the character’s genesis. Such forms can only resonate with the artist if he liberates his physical and spiritual selves.

Curator He Yongmiao describes Zhang Hao’s practice as “from Dao to craft”. Most interpret Zhuangzi’s story of the butcher Paoding as “advancing from craft to Dao”, yet the logic works in reverse too: Dao manifests through tools, and tools embody Dao. This highlights a prevalent flaw in contemporary art: its impoverishment of Daoist spiritual depth.

This line of thought leads to the exhibition’s second segment, Spirit, centered on ink paintings. Though seemingly abstract or calligraphic, these works record Zhang Hao’s life: memories of his hometown, travels, or historical contexts such as the exiled Su Shi’s cultural legacy in his places of banishment. For Zhang Hao, composing paintings through character structure, form, colour and layered ink reconstructs how humans perceive time, space and engage in embodied contemplation.

We only witness the finished artworks, yet it is the entire creative process—including the formation of every stroke—that deserves our attention.

Academic Leader: Gao Minglu

He holds a PhD from Harvard University and is an emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. He is a renowned art historian, critic, and curator, and a core organizer of the '85 Art Movement.' In 1989, he curated the milestone "Chinese Modern Art Exhibition," and in 1998, he hosted the first large-scale overseas Chinese contemporary art touring exhibition "Inside Out," establishing local art theories such as "Yi School Theory" and "Extremism." He is the author of China's first book, 'History of Contemporary Chinese Art,' has long been deeply involved in research on Chinese ink painting, Chinese character writing, and the contemporary nature of traditional art, and continues to host domestic academic exhibitions, dedicated to building an independent narrative of Chinese art from a global perspective.

Artist: Zhang Hao

Born in Tianjin in 1961, Professor at the School of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy at China Academy of Art, and Director of the Institute of Contemporary Ink Painting. Having cultivated contemporary ink and art calligraphy for forty years, he has proposed "brush thinking" and "time ink," reconstructing the Eastern spiritual vision through writing. He has held numerous important solo exhibitions both domestically and internationally, with works collected by institutions such as the British Museum and the National Art Museum of China.

Curator: He Yongmiao

Founder, art director, curator, artist, and collector of Renke Art Center, and chief initiator of the "Hansheng" series exhibitions. He has long focused on curating contemporary Chinese ink painting and local calligraphic art, organizing the large-scale group exhibition "The Unformed Han Voice" and the "Han Voice Case Studies" series of solo academic exhibitions.