Solo Exhibition ShanghART M50, Shanghai
ShanghART Gallery is pleased to present Xu Zhen: Instant Contemplation opening on November 10, 2025, at ShanghART M50, Shanghai. For the first time, the exhibition systematically situates the Chinese painting system within Xu Zhen’s artistic methodology of “ecosystem as medium,” constructing through four thematic sections — “Giant”, “Shan Shui”, “Mist”, and “Enlightenment” — a contemplative trajectory from the spirit of objects to the realm of the mind.
The exhibition title, Instant Contemplation precisely captures the familiar experiences of contemporary life: on one hand, the instantaneous, surface-level perception perpetually accelerated by technology; on the other, the extended, reflective rhythm of thought that accommodates chance and diversity. This juxtaposition points to a prevalent contemporary mental state — the simultaneous operation of multiple temporal logics within one body and consciousness — which profoundly shapes how we perceive the past, present, and future. The exhibition seeks to render this cognition visible: to allow fleeting sensations to unfold through contemplation, and to enable contemplation to regenerate within an accelerated spatiotemporal reality.
The four sections articulate a clear conceptual progression: “Giant” expresses the cosmic energy of ritual vessels through the spirit of brush and ink; “Shan Shui” transforms data topographies into traversable digital terrains; “Mist” reveals the symbiotic traces between silk and time; and “Enlightenment” stages a trans-temporal dialogue between news imagery and the Zen Buddhist sudden enlightenment. Through the intervention of conceptual and technological processes, the medium of traditional Chinese painting is creatively reconstituted. Rather than a return to tradition, Xu Zhen reconfigures the cosmology and technical lineage of Chinese painting into an operable contemporary framework, offering a distinctive methodological tool for global cultural dialogue.
At the core of Xu Zhen’s practice lies the notion of ecosystem as medium. Here, “ecosystem” extends far beyond the natural—it encompasses historical contexts, geopolitical configurations, ideological and institutional structures, as well as media technologies. In this exhibition, Xu Zhen subjects this methodology to a deep examination within the framework of Eastern cultural systems. Chinese painting—an art form and philosophical vehicle spanning millennia—is reactivated as an active cultural technology. With its unique cosmology, spatiotemporal order, and technical logic, it crystallizes a complete continuum from modes of seeing to systems of value. Amid ecological crises, technological transformations, and geopolitical reconfigurations, Xu Zhen’s practice demonstrates that the Chinese painting system provides not only aesthetic reference but also structural potential for reshaping contemporary culture. Through conceptual and technological innovation, the traditional medium of painting acquires new expressive dimensions.
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