Wu Weijia
Dust & Wild Horse
2025.09.27 - 11.02
Triumph Gallery is pleased to announce the presentation of Wu Weijia's first solo exhibition at the gallery, Dust & Wild Horse, from September 27 to November 2, 2025. Curated by Wang Jiang, the exhibition will focus on presenting a number of important new works by the artist from recent years.
"Dust and Wild Horses" alludes to the "Zhuangzi · Free and Easy Wandering." In the original text, "wild horses" metaphorically refers to the mist steaming and floating over wild forests and marshes in spring, its form like galloping horses, full of vibrant energy; while "dust" signifies the fine particles of floating and settling in the air. Placed together, they serve as symbols of "the breathing of living things blowing upon each other" – they are different forms of the same "breath" of heaven and earth, both moved and transformed by the blowing of the great atmosphere. Dust seems to descend, mist seems to ascend; one sinks, one floats, sharing the same origin but appearing differently, vividly illustrating a cosmic view of the mutual transformation and ceaseless proliferation of all things in eternal flux.
Within the genealogy of contemporary Chinese painting, Wu Weijia's practice represents a case of profound spiritual depth. He extends and expands upon the painterly language of Western modernism and postmodernism, while finding his grounding in Eastern philosophy. This dual sourcing enables him to transcend Eastern-Western aesthetic divides and thought patterns. Through an intuitive approach to painting, his work delves into the flow and change at the essence of life, constructing a visual world between figuration and abstraction, generation and dissolution. His art no longer focuses on the representation of reality or the projection of psychology, but stems from a contemplation of "the unity of things and the self" , granting every element in the painting its own autonomous existential value. This perspective not only restructures the logic of viewing but also resonates with contemporary philosophical thoughts focusing on inner experience and perceptual freedom. In terms of linguistic strategy, he deliberately employs a "bad painting" negative approach, using unfinished traces, fractured imagery, and layered conflicts to resist closed meanings and the consumption of the visual. Thus, his pictorial surface becomes a "live utterance", as Zen Buddhism calls it – open and polysemous, inviting viewers to intuitive comprehension and spiritual clarity.
Wu Weijia's typicality among contemporary painters stems from his attitude of treating painting as spiritual practice and the personalized aesthetic system he has established. He not only carries forward the rebellious and experimental spirit of Chinese modern art since the 1980s but also offers a unique path, within a globalized context, to return to inner perception and resist the era of image surplus. His practice demonstrates that painting still maintains the potential for profound philosophical thought today.
"Dust and Wild Horses" alludes to the "Zhuangzi · Free and Easy Wandering." In the original text, "wild horses" metaphorically refers to the mist steaming and floating over wild forests and marshes in spring, its form like galloping horses, full of vibrant energy; while "dust" signifies the fine particles of floating and settling in the air. Placed together, they serve as symbols of "the breathing of living things blowing upon each other" – they are different forms of the same "breath" of heaven and earth, both moved and transformed by the blowing of the great atmosphere. Dust seems to descend, mist seems to ascend; one sinks, one floats, sharing the same origin but appearing differently, vividly illustrating a cosmic view of the mutual transformation and ceaseless proliferation of all things in eternal flux.
Within the genealogy of contemporary Chinese painting, Wu Weijia's practice represents a case of profound spiritual depth. He extends and expands upon the painterly language of Western modernism and postmodernism, while finding his grounding in Eastern philosophy. This dual sourcing enables him to transcend Eastern-Western aesthetic divides and thought patterns. Through an intuitive approach to painting, his work delves into the flow and change at the essence of life, constructing a visual world between figuration and abstraction, generation and dissolution. His art no longer focuses on the representation of reality or the projection of psychology, but stems from a contemplation of "the unity of things and the self" , granting every element in the painting its own autonomous existential value. This perspective not only restructures the logic of viewing but also resonates with contemporary philosophical thoughts focusing on inner experience and perceptual freedom. In terms of linguistic strategy, he deliberately employs a "bad painting" negative approach, using unfinished traces, fractured imagery, and layered conflicts to resist closed meanings and the consumption of the visual. Thus, his pictorial surface becomes a "live utterance", as Zen Buddhism calls it – open and polysemous, inviting viewers to intuitive comprehension and spiritual clarity.
Wu Weijia's typicality among contemporary painters stems from his attitude of treating painting as spiritual practice and the personalized aesthetic system he has established. He not only carries forward the rebellious and experimental spirit of Chinese modern art since the 1980s but also offers a unique path, within a globalized context, to return to inner perception and resist the era of image surplus. His practice demonstrates that painting still maintains the potential for profound philosophical thought today.
Wu Weijia
Wu Weijia, born in 1960 in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, graduated in 1982 from the Oil Painting Department of the Fine Arts School of Nanjing University of the Arts, where he studied under Su Tianci. He currently lives and works in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, teaching at the School of Fine Arts of Nanjing Normal University. He has long been engaged in painting instruction and artistic creation.
Throughout his artistic career spanning over four decades, Wu Weijia has dedicated himself to painting practices across various media, including oil painting, Chinese painting, and calligraphy, demonstrating exceptional artistic talent and mastery. His works are housed in the collections of several major art institutions, such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Jiangsu Art Museum, and the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts.Wu Weijia (b.1960), was born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, and currently lives and works in Nanjing, China. For over 40 years, his artistic creation has spanned Chinese and Western art forms, achieving excellence in oil painting, watercolor, Chinese painting, calligraphy, and seal - carving. Throughout his artistic career, his style has been diverse yet consistently unique. This style stems from his deep - seated drive for artistic innovation and exploration, combined with his ability to express genuine artistic pleasure. In 1995, Wu Weijia visited the US and Canada with a delegation and exhibited his works there. Over the years, he has been a active presence in the art world, holding solo and group exhibitions in various places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Jinan, Zibo, Taiwan, and Macau. His works are collected by many important art institutions, including the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Jiangsu Province Art Museum, Nanjing University of the Arts Gallery, and Tianning Zen Temple.
Throughout his artistic career spanning over four decades, Wu Weijia has dedicated himself to painting practices across various media, including oil painting, Chinese painting, and calligraphy, demonstrating exceptional artistic talent and mastery. His works are housed in the collections of several major art institutions, such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Jiangsu Art Museum, and the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts.Wu Weijia (b.1960), was born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, and currently lives and works in Nanjing, China. For over 40 years, his artistic creation has spanned Chinese and Western art forms, achieving excellence in oil painting, watercolor, Chinese painting, calligraphy, and seal - carving. Throughout his artistic career, his style has been diverse yet consistently unique. This style stems from his deep - seated drive for artistic innovation and exploration, combined with his ability to express genuine artistic pleasure. In 1995, Wu Weijia visited the US and Canada with a delegation and exhibited his works there. Over the years, he has been a active presence in the art world, holding solo and group exhibitions in various places such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Jinan, Zibo, Taiwan, and Macau. His works are collected by many important art institutions, including the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Jiangsu Province Art Museum, Nanjing University of the Arts Gallery, and Tianning Zen Temple.
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Curator
Curator
Wang Jiang
Wang Jiang is an independent curator and art critic based in Beijing and Shanghai. He holds degrees from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, Germany. Since 2016, he has curated more than 80 exhibitions and independent projects, meticulously organizing diverse generational and thematic dimensions of artistic practices. His theoretical interests revolve around the sociology of art, mythology, and visual culture, with recent curatorial focuses on feminism in contemporary painting, the identity and aesthetics of ethnic minorities, and popular trends in the digital era. From 2016 to 2018, he founded MoShang Experiment, and from 2019 to 2021, he served as the guest curator for Platform China. In 2023, he founded "Cunzhi" (Curatorial and Design Studio). In 2020 and 2023, he was recognized as the curator of the year by Hi Art. Additionally, he served as a special guest editor for the Annual of Contemporary Art of China in 2021. He is a guest writer for Artnet, focusing his research and writings on the diverse possibilities within "Chinese New Painting". His critical and interview articles have been published in prominent media outlets, including ARTnews, ArtBaba, and Hi Art. His recent case reviews cover artists from various directions, including Yuan Yunsheng, Ma Kelu, Wang Yuping, Wang Yin, Mao Yan, Ma Ke, Huang Yuxing, Qin Qi, Guan Yinfu，Xia Yu, Zhang Yexing, Lu Song, Liu Haichen, among others. His research articles such as The Multifaceted Facets of Weltanschauung: The Dialectics and Changes of Volition, Kong-Fu: The “Her” Gaze in Chinese New Painting, and Screen Generation: Digital Archaeology, Sketching, and Innovation in Painting.