Beyond Ink: New Horizons in Contemporary Chinese Calligraphy

The exhibition explores the most innovative forms of contemporary Chinese calligraphy, highlighting its vitality and its ability to engage with diverse artistic languages, cultures and audiences.

The first exhibition of its kind in Europe, it brings together over 40 artists and more than 55 works, ranging from abstraction and pictographic symbols to invented calligraphies, material experiments, video installations, design, augmented reality, video games, fashion, music, performance and urban interventions.

The exhibition, divided into four sections — visual arts, graffiti, decorative and applied arts, and performing arts — demonstrates how the calligraphic mark transcends the boundaries of traditional writing to become a universal form of expression.

The artists featured in the exhibition include leading figures on the international scene, such as Wang Dongling, Xu Bing, Gu Wenda, Luo Qi, Zhang Qiang, Wei Ligang, Feng Mengbo, Pu Lieping, Wang Nanming, Chu Chu and Shao Yan. Particular attention is also paid to female artists, such as Li Xinmo, Echo Morgan and Wu Xixia, who explore the relationship between calligraphy, contemporary art and gender issues.

The exhibition is curated by Adriana Iezzi, with Marta R. Bisceglia, Daniele Caccin and Martina Merenda, and is organised by Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna | Department of Interpretation and Translation – DIT in collaboration with the Municipality of Bologna | Civic Museums Department | Civic Museums of Ancient Art, with the support of the Asia Institute, the Confucius Institute and Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

The project stems from the European research initiative WRITE – New Forms of Calligraphy in China: A Contemporary Culture Mirror, dedicated to the evolution of Chinese calligraphy into new artistic languages capable of reflecting the cultural and social transformations of contemporary China.

To mark the exhibition, the WRITE Digital Archive – the world’s first digital archive dedicated to contemporary Chinese calligraphy – will be presented to the public and can be accessed within the museum’s galleries.

Admission to the exhibition and activities is included in the museum entry ticket.