Xianshuo Zhai

Xianshuo Zhai is a contemporary artist. Interested in the truth.

Graduated from Tianjin University in 2021, majoring in Financial Management. He will graduate from the Royal College of Art in 2023.

Most of his works are based on text, focusing on the past and the present, exploring himself and others, expressing what can be said and what cannot be said. At present, he is interested in Zen Buddhism and the philosophy of Wang Yangming.

His works have been exhibited in Beijing, Paris, London and other places.

After trying various methods, I finally settled on using Chinese art paper to write sentences. The text is in Chinese. I chose this format for three reasons.

The first is identity. For me, rice paper and Chinese characters are the things that best represent my identity. Their culture is the one I grew up with. When I was in primary school, I studied Chinese painting for six years and Chinese calligraphy for two years, so I have a kinship with rice paper and brush. At the same time, I also think that these two materials represent my memories of the past. I was a very confident person when I was a child. And right now, I need to get that back.

The second reason is the way of thinking. In my opinion, language is a very complicated thing. Language expresses a philosophical system and a logical system. While Zen is a product of China, Chinese characters and Chinese language are the best tools to explain the ideological system of Zen. For me, I have some ideas that I desperately need to express, and they can't be created in any other medium. Only words and words are the most appropriate and at the same time the most powerful.

The third reason is calligraphy. Calligraphy can keep one's concentration high. And calligraphy is an art that takes time to accumulate and is also a good way to practice. In addition, the process of writing calligraphy is also a self-healing process.