「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」Wu Weijia: A Visual Koans of Meditating Through Brushstrokes

Every day, bombarded by countless images, have you forgotten how to truly “view” a painting? Wu Weijia’s “Dust and Wild Horse” invites us to relearn how to “watch”. The most fascinating aspect of this exhibition lies in the fact that the artist has created a visual realm that refuses to be easily interpreted but provokes endless contemplation.

Wu Weijia’s paintings break the narrative logic of traditional painting. The figures in the paintings seem to always be in a state of generation and disappearance, neither purely abstract nor clearly concrete. This “unfinished” is the philosophical expression deliberately created by the artist. Just as the Zen koans refuse to provide a standard answer, his works also refuse to be fixed into a single meaning. Those seemingly fragmented brushstrokes and layered colors are actually a challenge to the habitual viewing patterns of the audience, forcing us to let go of preconceptions and feel the flow of the atmosphere in the picture with intuition.

In my opinion, Wu Weijia’s most remarkable achievement is his transformation of the creative process into a form of spiritual practice. Each of his paintings is a “pen-based meditation” experience, with the canvas serving as the medium for his contemplation rather than the outcome. This creative attitude fills the exhibition space with a serene and profound energy. Here, viewers not only appreciate the art but also experience a spiritual “slowing down” and “introspection”.

In this era of rapid consumption, the exhibition “Dust and Wild Horse” reminds us that art does not provide answers, but rather prompts questions; it does not present certainty, but embraces possibilities. This might just be the gift that Wu Weijia offers to contemporary audiences, a way of viewing that re-discovers the complexity and mystery of the world.

The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.