Xinwen Zhang

My work relates to Chinese calligraphy and Chinese ink painting. The brushstroke motifs of Japanese calligraphy (Ensō) and the splash-ink style of Chinese painting have given me a lot of inspiration and made me realize the potential of the brushstroke movement. Enso is a painting method that focuses on how to execute the brush stroke circle through a movement of the body. This method relates to Japanese Zen philosophy, which is characterized by a minimalism born from Japanese aesthetics. The incomplete circle symbolises movement and development. When the circle is closed, it represents perfection, akin to Plato's perfect form. 

My major at BA level was oil painting. I found that Chinese ink painting expresses “space” in a different way to Western painting. Here, poetic expression is an understanding of space in Chinese ink painting, mainly reflected through different ways of moving brushes. My work examines how to combine traditional Chinese painting methods and the philosophy of Japanese painting within the real 3D space and turn my brushstroke into a stereoscopic image. It leads the viewer’s eyes to move through different spaces with complex shapes. My work aims to change the viewing mode of the audience, so they can experience movement in a motionless object.