In her practice of calligraphy, Charwei Tsai uses natural pigments that are extracted from minerals such as malachite, cinnabar and agate (or crushed shell pigments) mixed with gum arabic. She draws inspiration from the rock paintings found along the Silk Road in Central Asia along which the Buddhist sutras passed from the 5th century onwards, as well as the medicinal uses of certain minerals.
Drawing An Aspiration is a series of drawings made up of circular shapes drawn on linen using natural pigments and covered with Sanskrit mantras. The Mantra of Light, which comes from the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism, is an integral part of Tsai’s work, whose interest in spirituality manifests itself across a variety of mediums.
Through her drawings and use of natural materials, some of which have medicinal properties, Charwei Tsai pays tribute to the lives lost during wars and the current pandemic.
Charwei Tsai (b. 1980, Taiwan) is in residency as part of the “Art Explora x Cité internationale des arts” program.
This exhibition is part of the 2022 edition of the Drawing Now Art Fair.