‘Home is where the heart is’ | Visit and Lecture
The KVVAK would like to draw your attention to an afternoon of lectures devoted entirely to (Taiwanese) calligraphy. The focus will be on the work of Tong Yang-Tze (1942), one of the most important contemporary calligraphers, whose monumental work was recently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and will soon be on display at the Rijksmuseum. Prior to two lectures, the works can be viewed in the Asian Pavilion, where curator Ching Ling Wang will welcome you and provide further information.
Musicality in the Art of Writing: Improvisation, Rhythm, and Performance
Dr. Fan Li (Leiden University)
Abstract:
This lecture explores how Taiwanese artist Tong Yang-Tze transforms traditional calligraphy into wenzi yishu (“the art of writing”), merging it with music, dance, and performance. Inspired by Tang masters such as Huaisu, Tong embraces improvisation and rhythm as central to her expressive brushwork. Her multimedia works, such as Sao (2016), translate musicality and movement into visual form. Monumental in scale and deeply performative, Tong’s art reimagines writing as a living, rhythmic act bridging ancient calligraphy and contemporary visual culture.
The Art of Writing: Tong Yang-Tze’s Calligraphy at the Asian Pavilion, Rijksmuseum
Dr. Ching-Ling Wang (Leiden University)
Abstract:
This lecture examines Tong Yang-Tze’s transformative calligraphy, presented in Tong Yang-Tze: Home Is Where the Heart Is at the Rijksmuseum’s Asian Pavilion. Trained in both Eastern and Western art traditions, Tong fuses the discipline of classical Chinese calligraphy with the expressive abstraction of modernism. Her monumental works, including Home Is Where the Heart Is and The Dao Follows What Is Natural, combine rhythm, movement, and emotion. By reinterpreting ancient texts through dynamic brushwork, Tong bridges tradition and innovation, redefining calligraphy as a vibrant, contemporary visual language.
Programme
14:00 – 14:45 hrs. : viewing at the Asian Pavilion with the artist Tong-Yang-Tze and Dr. Ching-Ling Wang.
15:00-16:30 hrs. : lectures at the Auditorium by Dr. Ching-Ling Wang and Dr. Fan Li.
16:30-17:00 hrs. : Q&A with the speakers.
Afterwards there will be time for a short drink at the Museum Café.