Tian Xu Tong

A perspicacious Chinese ink painter whose life and art are one and the same with the philosophy he depicts, Tian Xu Tong's name has become synonymous with Zen for his distinctive black-and-white ink-paintings of sagacious monks meditating on boats on water or on mountain tops insinuated by nuances of lines painted in plain, abstracted space. Pure, natural, elementary and calm, Tian's composed seriocomic allegories take the imagination through boundless space with a leisurely and carefree lightness. Incorporating and expressing both the clarity and power of focus, and infusing his works with the clever delight and simplicity of Zen philosophy on rice paper through ingenious brushwork and dexterity of conceptualization, Tian's deceptively simple works embrace paradox on several levels and dimensions. Often appearing straightforward and outwardly amusing, one finds great strength and intensity of mind and thought in his spatial projections upon deeper and often recurring reflection. Since the late 1990s, Tian Xu Tong's one-of-a-kind blend of abstract sage, serenity and drollness have brought a world of audiences not merely aesthetic satisfaction, but on a great level, peace and a sense of spiritual fulfillment.

Born in Beijing in 1962, Tian Xu Tong graduated from the Central Academy of Craft & Design in 1985 with a major in inkpainting. A congenial, spirited and highly creative artist by profession, he has also produced 30 publications - ranging from guides on sketching techniques and innovative design to Chinese decorative art and books on Tian's inkpainting collections - to his name.

Selected Exhibitions

1990 Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Hong Kong

1991 The Contemporary Installation Art Exhibition, Singapore

1993 Invited to furnish mural designs for a Taiwanese charity foundation

1995 The 4th Asian Art Exhibition, China

1998 Featured in an exclusive interview-documentary (Beijing CCTV)

2000 China Art Expo, Beijing

2001 Solo exhibition, Singapore

2002 New York Art Expo

2003 ARTSingapore 2003

2004 Solo exhibition, Singapore
An exhibition featuring works by the teaching staff of China's 9 largest Arts Institutes

2005 Group exhibition, Singapore

2006 In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Qinghua University's School of Arts exhibition.

2007 Solo exhibitions at China National Museum of Fine Arts, Beijing and HaKaren Art Gallery, Singapore

簡歷

現任清華大學美術學院副教授

1985 畢業於中央工藝美術學院

1962 生於北京

個展

2008 參加“藝術北京”2008當代藝術博覽會

2007 由清華大學美術學院和新加坡客藝廊聯合主辦在中國美術館及新加坡舉行“空無與實在—田旭桐當代水墨展”

2006 參加清華大學美術學院50年校慶展
參加中國美術館《經典十年》藝術聯展

2005 參加新加坡客藝廊《簡約生活》美術聯展

2004 新加坡客藝廊舉辦“通往內心和平之門——田旭桐個展”
參加“中國九大美術學院國畫系教師作品展”

2003 參加新加坡藝術博覽會

2002 參加紐約藝術博覽會

2001 新加坡客藝廊舉辦“禪意——田旭桐個展”
參加北京“藝術與科學國際作品展”

1999 參加北京中國藝術博覽會

1998 應邀接受北京電視臺輯制專題片《耕耘•收穫—記青年畫家田旭桐》

1995 參加北京“第四屆亞洲美展”

1993 應邀為臺灣慈濟功德會紀念堂設計壁畫

1990 參加新加坡“中國當代裝飾藝術展”

1989 在山西太原舉辦“田旭桐畫展”；參加香港“中國當代藝術作品展”

1988 參加“中國工藝美術院系優秀作品展”，獲優秀作品獎

出版發表

出版有《田旭桐黑白畫集》、《線描裝飾畫畫法》、《空白藝術》、《禪—田旭桐當代水墨作品集》《擁抱自然-2008田旭桐禪意水墨作品》等30餘部著作。

作品被收藏情況

作品廣泛被中外企業機構、博物館和私人收藏。