Affirmation of Stone and Metal: Tai Xiangzhou’s Monumental Vision

Renowned for his deep engagement with classical Chinese painting traditions, the artist shifted his focus from cosmic landscapes—such as those in his 2021 exhibition Cosmoscapes: Ink Paintings by Tai Xiangzhou—to tangible artifacts of China’s rich history. His hyperrealistic paintings magnify the grandeur of ritual vessels and jade ornaments, elevating them to an unprecedented monumental scale, along with the artist’s own inscriptions. 

One such example is The Great Way of Auspicious Metal I–III, a series of three handscrolls created in 2024. Each scroll, measuring over 16 feet in length, presents an intricately detailed rendering of ancient bronze vessels sourced from prestigious collections, including objects from the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The works in The Great Way of Auspicious Metal I (below) are from the Art Institute’s collection.

Two works from the collection—Cauldron and Bell (Nao)—are represented below. These, and the other vessels on the scroll, can be found in galleries 131–132.

These paintings echo the meticulous documentation style of Qing dynasty imperial inventories, such as the Pictures of Ancient Playthings, an illustrated catalog from 1729 that preserved the Yongzheng emperor’s vast collection, though Tai’s ink work extends beyond mere representation; it integrates inscriptions from classical Chinese texts on ritual, reinforcing the profound cultural and philosophical weight these objects carried.

The material jade, revered in Chinese tradition for its purity and durability, plays a significant role in Tai’s work. A striking example is his painting of the Plaque with Openwork God-Human-Beast Face, an artifact from the Liangzhu culture (3300–2250 BCE). The Liangzhu people, one of China’s earliest advanced societies, imbued their jade artifacts with intricate god-human-beast motifs, reflecting their shamanistic beliefs and social hierarchy. Tai’s modern interpretation of these ancient symbols emphasizes the enduring connection between material culture and spiritual thought.

The Rectangular Bronze Ritual Vessel (fangyi) from the Late Shang dynasty (13th–11th century BCE) is a type of vessel used in sacrificial offerings, symbolizing a bridge between earthly existence and the divine. Tai’s painting blows up this vessel into a monumental scale with an inscribed warning against overindulgence, drawing from the Book of Rites, illustrating the moral and ethical considerations embedded within ancient ceremonial traditions.

The ink painting Tigress Embracing a Child depicts a famous you vessel—a vessel, usually lidded, that was used for liquid offerings—from the Cernuschi Museum. This late Shang-era bronze container, adorned with intricate animal motifs, depicts a feline holding a human figure. This unique iconography could symbolize a protective relationship or mythical ancestry, although its exact meaning remains uncertain.

In the inscription, Tai discusses the significance and nature of ritual in ancient Chinese philosophy, emphasizing that ritual has both substance and form, with loyalty and trust as its foundation, and righteousness and reason as its outward expression.

In this body of work, Tai not only preserves but also reinterprets historical artifacts, breathing new life into their meanings and elevating them beyond their material existence. And by presenting these historical objects on a monumental scale, Tai allows us to witness their grandeur anew, encouraging a deeper reflection on the ways in which history, ritual, and artistic practice are intertwined.

A rotation of his work, called Affirmation of Stone and Metal, is on view in Gallery 134 and runs through June 16, 2025.

—Seung Hee Oh, assistant curator of Chinese art, Arts of Asia

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