DAESHIN Museum of Contemporary Art

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The art of painting has a long and storied history. It is a creative practice that gives visual form to human thought, deeply intertwined with the practical needs of early human life and later enriched by religious inspiration. Broadly speaking, early artistic creation was inherently narrative, with storytelling as its dominant focus. Following the Renaissance and into the modern and contemporary eras, the individual voice of the artist grew increasingly central to their work. Today, contemporary artists draw their inspiration from reflections on grander, more universal questions, elevating painting beyond mere visual delight, technical mastery, or basic narrative storytelling.

Contemporary art encapsulates narratives, philosophies, existential inquiries, visions of the future, and critical perspectives that lie beyond the frame. Above all, it embodies the artist’s subjective ideas, rebellious spirit, and profound contemplation. Contemporary artists aspire to shape the course of human development through their artistic practice.

Amid countless museums and galleries dedicated to classical art, France’s Centre Pompidou stands as a singular and transformative landmark. Both its revolutionary architecture and its presentation of contemporary art embody a seamless fusion of industrial civilization and modern life. Industrial civilization cannot advance without the critical reflection and aesthetic vision of artists. Painting is no longer an obscure pursuit confined to elites; instead, artists directly engage with modern industrial civilization, guiding industrial design through aesthetic insight, challenging the flaws of industrial progress, and advocating for solutions.

The Centre Pompidou demonstrates that art has descended from its ivory tower to become a vital participant—and even an innovator—in shaping our future. It permeates every dimension of modern civilization, with the mission of elevating industrial civilization and lifting public aesthetic consciousness to a higher plane.

Across the landscape of global civilization, China’s modernization stands as a defining force in human progress. The efforts of generations are preserved in the records of culture and civilization, where literature, painting, and music serve as the primary carriers of heritage. Daxin Museum of Contemporary Art aims to contribute its part within the field of contemporary painting: to document this era, to drive its transformation, and above all, to serve the people of our time.

Zhu Wei has long endeavored to abstract his pictorial language from the mundanity of life, deliberately distancing his art from the banalities of daily existence. He contends that the so-called realism of life is saturated with disquieting details—trivial, even dehumanizing routines that vulgarize the canvas, reducing it to stale and stagnant debris. In stark contrast, authentic art, which ought to emanate from the depths of the mind and soul, has become an ephemeral blossom of the era, rare and fleeting.

An artist must penetrate the essence of life without succumbing to its trivialities. The human intellect demands philosophical speculation and profound reflection on the meaning of existence—a pursuit once confined to philosophy and literature, now extended to the realm of virtual reality. When an artist distills life and reality to a state of transcendental nullity on the canvas, visual poetry unfolds in its most miraculous form, and painting becomes a revelation of the artist’s innermost spiritual mysteries.

As a pivotal chapter in China’s ’85 Art Movement, The Final Exhibition of 1986 has been inscribed in several seminal historical texts on modern Chinese art. Among the most compelling works from this period are Zhu Wei’s iconic 1980s pieces: Cut Off Your Head to Weigh Your Conscience and Golden Head, Silver Wings, Copper Belly, Iron Legs, Muddy Feet. These canvases narrate profound narratives emerging from shadowy, introspective chaos. Despite his youth, the artist already demonstrated a profound contemplation of religion, humanity, and the enigma of life. Religion, after all, transcends the constraints of mortal existence, aspiring toward the exploration and elevation of a higher humanity and spiritual consciousness. Such philosophical depth, in my estimation, is an indispensable attribute for artists in pursuit of transcendent visual resonance.

His concurrent works—Spoon and Candle, Unity, and Rebirth—explore the origins of life from an alternative perspective, delving into the interweaving of souls, and offering profound meditations on love and sexuality. Rebirth, in particular, confronts themes of religion and the karmic cycle of life. Critical reflection is humanity’s supreme faculty; painting must invariably transcend empirical reality to seek existential answers for the soul.

The artist once articulated: “I refuse to reduce painting to a human activity governed by positive or negative feedback. I have long understood that the wellspring of art is solitude. In contemplating the sublime, solitude is inevitable, yet no one willingly embraces it. Thus, I seek dialogue with my soul and communion with my canvas. When this dialogue concludes, I am transformed by art itself. I am abandoned by the completed work, awaiting the genesis of the next creation. The canvas recedes swiftly, and I am left to embrace a new, unsurpassable solitude.”

In 2018, Zhu Wei joined the National Centre for the Performing Arts as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence. In recent years, he has produced monumental, formally innovative works including Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of Beethoven’s Birth, Quartet, Swan Lake, and A Shining Heart.

Sixty years, a full jiazi cycle in Chinese tradition, marks the eternal recurrence of art and the relentless pursuit of life amid struggle. May the artist embrace a dynamic new creative vitality as he enters this sixtieth year—unleashing boundless artistic imagination, unbridled expressive means, and audacious stylistic innovation. I eagerly anticipate his fresh philosophical reflections and profound new interpretations of life itself.