DITA and Duke University Chapel present a premiere gallery of ink wash art by esteemed Chinese contemporary poet, painter, critic, and professor at the Academy of Art & Design at Tsinghua University. DaoZi (whose given name is Wang Min) works in a style called Sacred Ink Wash Painting through which he combines traditional Chinese ink painting techniques and materials with themes infused with his Christian faith. In Transcendence + Immanence, the artist transforms the concepts and techniques of traditional Chinese ink wash painting into the language of theological aesthetics. Freeing himself from the naturalistic and stylistic formulae of traditional ink wash painting, the artist uses the Sacred Ink Wash style to challenge darkness, lament destruction, and call for redemption.

Showcasing representative pieces from the artist’s vast body of work since 2007, the exhibit is presented in two adjacent locations: a gallery of framed ink wash paintings is displayed in Duke Chapel, while a concurrent gallery of scrolls are on view in Duke Divinity School’s 00 Westbrook hallway. This tandem installation at Duke Chapel and Duke Divinity School is the exhibition’s premiere in the United States.

Both galleries are on display until November 26, 2023. Please see below for full information about viewing the galleries and parking.

Additional partnership and support for these events is provided by the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute and the Divinity School’s Asian House of Studies and Historical Division.