Chasing the Unseen:
Chinese calligraphy by Zhao Yizhou
(9th January – 15th April 2007)

Chasing the Unseen, an exhibition by Chinese calligrapher Zhao Yizhou opens at the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath on 9th January 2007. With a selection of new and recent works, this stunning exhibition explores Zhao's lively interpretation of literal meaning and aesthetic beauty inherent in Chinese calligraphy. Widely regarded as the finest contemporary Chinese calligrapher in the UK, Zhao's unusual combination of tradition and innovation creates a unique vitality and originality which uncovers the principles of Chinese shufa.

Viewed in China as one of the most important art forms, ‘shufa' translated as ‘calligraphy' in English, refers to a combination of scholarly tradition, painterly technique and emotional insight. Considered as more than decoration or an ornamentation of words, Chinese calligraphy is believed to express the internal and ‘unseen' life of the artist, rather than just being a highly aesthetic form of writing.

Deeply concerned with the psychological and philosophical potential of shufa, many of Zhao's pieces challenge the viewer's perception of what they are seeing. He reveals how words themselves and how they are written, can be a vehicle for meaning. With this bold form of expression and dramatic brushstrokes, Zhao continues the shufa tradition. However with work executed through a variety of media including ink, oil and watercolour, as well as a modern thoughtfulness, visitors to the exhibition will notice Zhao is very much a contemporary artist, not content with following tradition.

Zhao follows, but also challenges, the very essence of the tradition of shufa, forming a belief that although he would like to rebel against it, as tradition never remains in a fixed place at a fixed time, he has no alternative but to be part of it. Zhao's calligraphy is therefore a reflection of the practice of shufa but also the anxiety of tradition and its contradictions.

Exhibition sponsors

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Digital images available