Wei Ligang 魏立刚
In his career of three decades, Wei Ligang (b. 1964) has sought a universal language of abstraction based on the linear and spatial compositions of Chinese writing, a language capable of embodying the complexity and expansiveness of contemporary human knowledge and existence. His signature “magic squares,” which preserve the structure and strokes of Chinese characters and hark back to the pictographic origins of Chinese writing, are one of the earliest examples of a distinctly personal language in contemporary Chinese art. Wei Ligang generalizes the continuous cursive calligraphy of the 17th-century Shanxi calligrapher Fu Shan, applying it to the seal, clerical, and Oracle Bone scripts of antiquity to create the distinctive script styles of epigraphic mad cursive, “gold-ink cursive,” and “shadow cursive.” Wei Ligang is also the author of a celebrated body of calligraphy-informed abstract paintings.
Wei Ligang’s art is a unique fusion of systematic thought and sensibility, delicacy and spirituality, exoticism and naturalness. His wide-ranging inspirations include ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, industrial civilization and modern machines, European castles and palaces, contemporary physics and astronomy, and the structures of animals and plants. He employs the bright colors of gold, red, and blue, and uses acrylic paints to increase substance and texture. In these respects his art differs from traditional Chinese calligraphy, which typically is monochrome and privileges fluency.
Wei Ligang was born in Datong, the first capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and home to the famous Buddhist grotto shrines of Yungang, which instilled in him a fondness for the grandeur of Han and Tang-dynasty art. Wei’s father, an art-loving railroad worker, inspired his interest in mechanics and calligraphy. At age 17, Wei entered the mathematics department of Nankai University, where he honed his logical and analytical skills. As President of the university calligraphy society, he came under the mentorship of the local masters Li Henian (1912-2000), Wang Xuezhong (1925-2013), and Sun Boxiang (1934-) in classical poetry and epigraphic scripts. Wang Xuezhong, an early pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, was especially influential to Wei.
After graduating from Nankai in 1985, Wei Ligang became a teacher at a normal school in Taiyuan and immersed himself in the legacy of Fu Shan, a fellow Shanxi native. In 1995, he relocated to the Old Summer Palace in Beijing as a professional artist, and thereafter increasingly engaged with abstract painting and international contemporary art. Over the 90’s, Wei gained prominence as a young pioneer of Modern Calligraphy, participating and organizing a number of influential exhibitions in the field, including Bashu Parade: A Review of China Modern Calligraphy At The End of 20th Century in 1999 in Chengdu. A committed educator and the founder of the International Shuxiang Society, he believes that Chinese calligraphy will reach an unprecedented height within this generation. He aims to develop “writing” (shuxie) into an art form capable of embodying all phenomena and things in the universe and a way to construct “pure structure itself.”
Wei Ligang was the recipient of the 2005 Asian Cultural Council Dr. Joseph K. W. Li Arts Fellowship. His works are in the collections of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; British Museum; Cernuschi Museum, Paris; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle; National Museum of China, Beijing; National Art Museum of China, Beijing; François-Henri Pinault Family, France; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; among others.
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Blue Peacock 孔雀·蓝, 2012
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Fluttering Butterflies and Buzzing Bees, A Pleasure Boat and Orchids at Dawn 蝶乱蜂喧 兰晓画舸, 2016
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Myriad Things Examined: Autumn 万物察-秋, 2016
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Gold-Ink Cursive: Temple Bells Tolling by the Azure Stream 金墨大草:蓝涧闻钟, 2012
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Ten Thousand Birds Startled by the Dawn Drums 万点城鸟惊曙鼓, 2011
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A Thousand Iron-Clad Horses Crowding a Wild Field 千群铁马云屯野, 2016
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A Temple Locked in Mist in a Frigid Valley 冰连溪谷祠锁烟, 2016
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Shadow of a Qingdao Pine Tree 青岛的松影, 2010
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Dhyana 禅, 2010
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Ten 十, 2010
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Withered Hollyhock, Iron Bird 枯葵铁鸟, 2014
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Shadow Cursive 2 叠影草书(2), 2012
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Shadow Cursive 1 叠影草书(1), 2012
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West Lake Crab 西湖蟹, 2016
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Song of the Phoenix Flute 凤箫曲, 2016
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Tangerine of Mount Dongting 洞庭橘, 2016
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Quotations from Ouyang Xiu in Mad Cursive A 欧阳修辞抄狂草A, 2016
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Wei State of Myriad Beings 魏州万生园, 2016
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White Peacock 白孔雀, 2009
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Rhapsody on the Hall of Brightness 明堂赋, 2010
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Buzzing Bees 蜜蜂哼哼, 2014
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Valley of Butterflies 蝶谷, 2014
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Snails in the Rain 雨中蜗, 2011
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Ten Thousand City Birds 万点城鸟, 2011
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Songs of the Silver Zither 银筝渡曲, 2011
1964 | Born in Datong, Shanxi Province, China | |||||
EDUCATION |
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1981 | Studied under renowned Tianjin calligraphers Li Henian, Wang Xuezhong, and Sun Boxiang | |||||
1985 | Graduated with a major in mathematics from Nankai University, Tianjin, China | |||||
POSITIONS |
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Present
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Vice-President of Modern Calligraphy Art Association of China President of International Shuxiang Society |
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SELECTED AWARD & HONOR |
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2005 | Asian Cultural Council Dr. Joseph K. W. Li Arts Fellowship | |||||
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS |
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2018 |
Wei Ligang: Luminous Birds, Gajah Gallery, Singapore |
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2017 |
The Opening Exhibition for Wei’s Private Museum, Jiangxi, China |
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Beyond Three Perfections, Ireland Dublin Castle, Ireland | ||||||
Thinking Ink, Gajah Gallery, Singapore |
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2016 |
Songs of the Phoenix Mirror, Ink Studio, Beijing, China |
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Universal Things Examine: Wei Ligang Retrospective 1996-2016, Being 3 Gallery, Beijing, China | ||||||
2015
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Wei Ligang Solo Exhibition, Françoise Livinec, Paris, France Wei Ligang: Imperial Gold, Michael Goedhuis, London, UK Wei’s Ink Garden: Wei Ligang, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong S.A.R., China |
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2014 | Wei Ligang: Chinese Palaces, Michael Goedhuis, New York, USA | |||||
2012 | Zao Jian: Wei’s Shu Xiang, Being 3 Gallery, Beijing, China | |||||
2011 | Banquet of Magnificence—Shu Xiang@Wei Ligang, Being 3 Gallery, Beijing, China | |||||
2010
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[Gold · Unicon] 2010 Graphimage by Wei Ligang, Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai, China New Ink Painting by Wei Ligang, Michael Goedhuis, London, UK |
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2008
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Wei Ligang: The New Ink Painting, Goedhuis Contemporary, New York, USA Calligraphy performance, Chateau Penthes, Toulouse, France Han Palace vs Egypt Pyramid: Wei Ligang’s New Solo Exhibition, Being 3 Gallery, Beijing, China |
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2007 | Zhi Kan: Wei Ligang’s Calligraphy Art Exhibition, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China | |||||
2006
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New Works by Wei Ligang, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong S.A.R., China China in Ink & Wash: Exhibition of Wei Ligang’s Works, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China Cursive: Yin Mei’s Modern Dance (with participation of Wei Ligang), Queens College, The City University of New York, New York, USA |
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2004
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On the Journey—Wei Ligang’s Art Exhibition Tour In Hongkong and Shenzhen, Artist Commune, Hong Kong S.A.R.; He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China | |||||
1999 | Rongcheng Diaries, Longdexuan Gallery, Taiyuan, China | |||||
1996 | Insects: Chinese Characters That Itch, Songfengxuan Gallery,Beijing, China | |||||
1992
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Touring Exhibition of Calligraphy, Paintings and Seals by Wei Ligang (Third Exhibition), Nangong, Taiyuan, China | |||||
1988
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Touring Exhibition of Calligraphy, Paintings and Seals by Wei Ligang (Second Exhibition), Nankai University, Tianjin; Tsinghua University, Beijing; Nangong, Taiyuan, China | |||||
1985
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Touring Exhibition of Calligraphy, Paintings and Seals by Wei Ligang (First Exhibition), Nankai University, Tianjin, China | |||||
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS |
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2017 |
Art West Lake, Hang Zhou, China | |||||
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Changing China: Contemporary Ink Painting, Michael Goedhuis, New York, USA | |||||
2016
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Metamorphosis: China-Italia Biennale, Being 3 Gallery, Manet Art Museum, Beijing, China 100 Ans de Steles (One Hundred Years of Steles), Françoise Livinec, Paris, France |
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2015 | The Avant-Garde in China: Ink Art, Michael Goedhuis, London, UK | |||||
2014 | Memory: China-Italia Biennale, 798 Space, Beijing, China | |||||
2013
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Insightful Charisma: Shanghai Himalayas Museum Inaugural Exhibition, Shanghai Himalayas Museum, Shanghai, China Visual Variation, West Lack Museum, Hangzhou, China Beyond Black and White—Chinese Contemporary Abstract Ink, Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai, China Beyond Abstraction, Poligono Gallery, Marbella, Spain |
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2012
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Ink: The Art of China, The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK The Way of Writing, Zendai Contemporary Art Space, Shanghai, China Italia-China Biennale, Villa Reale, Monza, Italia |
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2011
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The Art of Writing, ArtForum in der Kurhaus Kolonnade, Wiesbaden, Germany Expression of Chinese Contemporary Art, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China Fine Contemporary Chinese Art Since 1981, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong S.A.R., China |
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2010
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Art Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, USA Calligraphy In Context, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China Art Dubai, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Art Palm Beach Art Fairs, Palm Beach County Convention Center, Miami, USA |
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2009
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The Orchid Pavilion: The Art of Writing in China, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium Ink Painting and Calligraphy: The Third Abstraction, Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai, China |
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2008
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Fine Art Asia, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong S.A.R., China Zeichen Im Wandel Der Zeit (New Ink Scene), Berlin National Museum, Berlin; Dresden National Art Museum, Dresden, Germany Ink, Not Ink: Chinese Contemporary Ink and Wash Art Exhibition, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China |
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2007
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Reboot: The 3rd Chengdu Biennale, Chengdu Tomorrow’s Fine Arts and Technology Gallery and Museum, Chengdu, China | |||||
2006 | Chinese Ink Painting Document 1976–2006, Nanjing Museum, Nanjing, China | |||||
2005
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The Act of Writing and of Non-Writing: The Open Space for Chinese Calligraphy, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China 2005 Seoul Calligraphy Biennale: Rhythm and Diffusion, Seoul Metropolitan Museum and Seoul History Museum, Seoul, Korea Construct the Ink Map: A Joint Exhibition of Contemporary Calligraphic paintings by Wei Ligang, Yang Xiaojian and Xu Jie, Museum63 Artist Commune, Hong Kong S.A.R., China Construct the Ink Map: A Joint Exhibition of Contemporary Calligraphic Paintings by Yang Xiaoneng and Wei Ligang, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China Crossing Boundaries - Works by Asian Cultural Council Fellows 2005, Lee Gardens, Hong Kong S.A.R., China |
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2004
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Chinese Characters As Resource, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney, Australia Chinese Character Confuse Situation, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China Nominees’ Exhibition of Chinese Calligraphy, Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Painting Institute, Nanjing, China “Calligraphy of 2” Bi-Exhibition: Jat See-yeu—Classical HK · Wei Li-gang—Contemporary Beijing, Museum63 Artist Commune, Hong Kong S.A.R., China |
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2003
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International Modern Ink Art Exhibition, Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an, China Space on the Move, Red Gate Gallery, Beijing, China |
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2002 | Brushes with Surprise: The Art of Calligraphy in Modern China, British Museum, London, UK | |||||
2001
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Zero Degree: Contemporary Art Exhibition, Bridge Art Space, Beijing, China Dimensions of Chinese Character: A Group Exhibition of Four Chinese and International Artists, Chaoyang Cultural Center, Beijing, China |
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2000
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International Documentary Exhibition of Calligraphy, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan | |||||
1999
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Bashu Parade: ’99 The Review of China Modern Calligraphy At The End of 20th Century, Chengdu International Conference and Exhibition Center, Chengdu, China East Abstract Paintings Exhibition, Creation Gallery, Beijing, China Abstract Paintings Exhibition of Wei Li-gang, Zhong Ru-qian and Xiao Feng, Creation Gallery, Beijing, China |
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1998
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Academic Symposium and Exhibition on Developmental Strategies of Modern Chinese Calligraphy, Gaoyou Museum, Gaoyou, China New Expressway: A Salon of Calligraphy, Shanxi Provincial Federation of Literature and Arts Building, Taiyuan, China |
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1997 | Exhibition of Seven Yuanmingyuan Artists, Songfengxuan Gallery, Beijing, China | |||||
1996 | Three-Person Show, Songfengxuan Gallery, Beijing, China | |||||
1995 | First International Calligraphy Biennale, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China | |||||
1992 | Joint Exhibition of Calligraphy from Shanxi, China and Saitama, Japan, Nangong, Taiyuan, China | |||||
1983
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Joint Exhibition of Calligraphy from Nankai University and Kagawa University, Nankai University, Tianjin, China | |||||
SELECTED COLLECTIONS |
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François-Henri Pinault Family, France | ||||||
Cernuschi Museum, Paris, France | ||||||
British Museum, London, UK | ||||||
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA | ||||||
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA | ||||||
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA | ||||||
Crow Collection of Asian Art, USA | ||||||
Origo Family Foundation, Switzerland | ||||||
National Museum of China, Beijing, China | ||||||
National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China | ||||||
He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China | ||||||
Red Cross Society of China, Beijing, China | ||||||
Today Art Museum, Beijing, China |
Last Updated: December 2016
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Art Shenzhen 2019
Bingyi, Kim Jongku, Li Huasheng, Peng Kanglong, Tao Aimin, Wang Tiande, Wang Dongling, Wei Ligang 12 - 15 Sep 2019INK studio is proud to participate in Art Shenzhen International Contemporary Art Fair from September 12 to 15. Located at booth D07, INK studio will...Read more -
Art Xiamen 2019
Bingyi, Huang Zhiyang, Li Hushing, Li Jin, Peng Kanglong, Wang Dongling, Wei Ligang, Xu Bing 6 - 9 Jun 2019INK studio is proud to participate in Art Xiamen from June 6 to 9 in Xiamen, Fujian. Located at booth A1-51/52, INK studio will present...Read more -
Art Chengdu 2019
Chen Haiyan, Li Jin, Tao Aimin, Wei Ligang, Xu Bing 28 Apr - 2 May 2019INK studio is proud to participate in Art Chengdu International Contemporary Art Fair from April 28 to May 2 in Chengdu. Located at booth A02,...Read more -
Art Chengdu 2018
Bingyi, Dai Guangyu, Huang Zhiyang, Li Huasheng, Li Jin, Wang Chuan, Wei Ligang 25 - 27 Apr 2018INK studio is proud to participate in the first edition of Art Chengdu, the first international art fair in Midwest China, from April 25th through 27th, 2018.Read more