The Art Institute of Chicago has opened Affirmation of Stone and Metal: Tai Xiangzhou’s Monumental Vision, a solo exhibition by artist Tai Xiangzhou. The exhibition revolves around the theme of bronzes and jades, showcasing Tai Xiangzhou’s in-depth research and artistic interpretation of ancient artifacts. Through his study of their patterns and forms, Tai integrates ink painting with his own inscriptions, merging traditional craftsmanship with contemporary art. This exhibition is curated by Tao Wang, the Pritzker Chair of Arts of Asia at the Art Institute of Chicago, with Seung Hee Oh, Assistant Curator of Chinese Art. It will be held in Gallery 134, featuring six of his latest paintings of ancient bronzes and jades, and will run until June 16, 2025.
As a leading scholar-artist of his generation, Tai Xiangzhou studied calligraphy under the exiled master Hu Gongshi from an early age, later deepening his study of traditional Chinese culture under Feng Qiyong, and earned his doctorate from Tsinghua University. His doctoral dissertation, Celestial Tales, explores the cosmology of early Chinese landscape painting, establishing connections between painting, ideology, and ritual through the lens of astronomical studies and artifact-making theory. He has long researched the evolution of bronze inscriptions and imagery systems, examining their roles in power, religion, ritual, and cosmology, and translates these themes into a contemporary visual language through his ink paintings.
Among the highlights is The Great Way of Auspicious Metal I–III, a series of three handscrolls created in 2024. Each scroll, spanning over 16 feet, intricately depicts ancient bronze vessels from prestigious collections. Works featured in The Great Way of Auspicious Metal I (pictured below) are drawn from the Art Institute’s own collection.
The Great Way of Auspicious Metal I (大道吉金图之一), 2024
Tai Xiangzhou 泰祥洲. Private collection
Tai’s paintings pay homage to the meticulous documentation style of Qing dynasty imperial inventories, yet they transcend mere representation. Through masterful ink work and inscriptions from classical Chinese texts on ritual, Tai reaffirms the profound cultural and philosophical weight these objects carried. In his works, ancient artifacts are no longer static museum collections but are reinterpreted as artistic expressions within the contemporary cultural context.
The material jade is revered for its purity and durability in Chinese culture. Apart from bronze vessels, Tai also reinterprets the cultural meaning of jade. In his painting of the Plaque with Openwork God-Human-Beast Face, an artifact from the Liangzhu culture (3300–2250 BCE), he employs exceptionally delicate brushwork to capture the subtle divinity of jade in its initial stages of refinement, transforming painting into a continuation of the jade’s spiritual essence.
Purity and Refinement (璇玑), 2024
Tai Xiangzhou 泰祥洲. Private collection
Artist Tai Xiangzhou’s reflections on ancient bronzes and jades extend beyond their artistic forms, delving into their cultural, philosophical, and historical significance. We warmly invite everyone to see how the artist masterfully fuses antiquity and contemporary artistry by reinterpreting ancient Chinese jades and bronzes through the meticulous lens of ink painting.
