Abstract

This paper addresses the reality that a number of artists of China and the Chinese diaspora use Chinese characters in their work. Some of the characters are legible and some are not, but all are wrought with deep layers of meaning. The fact that the characters originated as pictures makes them even more relevant for the visual arts as an international language. The essay examines how the artistic and aesthetic roots of Chinese calligraphy serve as inspiration in the work of some of the contemporary artists addressed within and discusses the conceptual content of their work.