Feburary 7 2025

Between Clay and Ceramics: Tianzong’s Contemporary Koan

Is clay the foundation of creation, or a silent act of resistance?

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Bodhidharma arrived in China and had a famous discussion about Buddhist practice with Emperor Wu of Liang. The emperor believed in showing devotion by building temples and copying sutras, while Bodhidharma felt these formal actions hid the true insight of Buddhism. Their disagreement led Bodhidharma to travel to Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, where he spent nine years meditating facing a wall. Legend says his image was eventually “imprinted” on the stone. This story became a major symbol in Zen Buddhism and represents how individuals leave lasting marks on their surroundings. It also inspires Tianzong’s Hitting Self series.

Among these works, Clay Hitting Self is the most representative piece in Tianzong’s Hitting Self series. In the video, Tianzong sits cross-legged with his eyes closed as lumps of slip are thrown at him from off-screen. The rough texture of the slip and the unpredictable splatter create a powerful tension captured on camera. As the slip hits Tianzong and bounces off, a human-shaped outline forms on the white background wall. When Tianzong finally leaves the scene, what remains is the slip imprint—a record of the clash between his body and the external force, and a symbol of the meeting between fear and action.

In the interview, Tianzong told us that he used to hesitate to act, worried that making any decision would kill possibilities. He thought that as long as he avoided making decisions, endless potential would remain. However, in Clay Hitting Self, clay becomes a way for him to rediscover improvisation in his art. Although clay is traditionally used to make ceramics, here it is more than a simple material—it is also a symbol of both fear and breakthrough.

By turning the act of throwing clay into art, Tianzong shows the raw, direct side of creation. Each hit of the clay is both a physical release and a new way of defining what clay can represent. Even though viewers cannot stand in front of the piece themselves, the sound and visuals in the video pull them into this dynamic process, leading them to wonder: Is clay the foundation of creation or a silent form of resistance?

Compared to the energetic force of Clay Hitting Self, Flower Vessel offers a more refined yet profound look at culture and power. These ceramic pieces are shaped like artillery shells but are made using traditional Chinese porcelain techniques. Some have metallic glazes, while others have rough, cracked surfaces or tree-bark-like textures. Many are covered with rows of written “hahaha” or “xixixi(pronounced as hee shee shee)” which can be read as mocking laughter by Chinese speakers, poking fun at authority. For those who do not understand Chinese, these characters might simply look like decorative patterns that fit the aesthetic of the porcelain. Each piece is also signed with “Tianzong Year Made,” imitating the marks of ancient emperors, but here it becomes the artist’s personal reimagining of the world.

In the displayed space, these ceramic artillery shells are lined up like a military parade, amplifying the symbolic tension of power and letting viewers sense the coercive nature of order. However, the humorous inscriptions undermine this solemnity, injecting a relaxed but ironic atmosphere.

While Clay Hitting Self uses the raw impact of clay and the body, and Flower Vessel focuses on fine porcelain and cultural symbols, both artworks are linked by Tianzong’s artistic approach. He balances tradition and rebellion, improvisation and structure, aiming to redefine the rules of creation. If Clay Hitting Self is an outward conflict made visible, then Flower Vessel is an inward cultural critique. Both are influenced by Zen wisdom and find a shared harmony between chaos and order.

Tianzong’s artistic journey is a continuous search for the edge of art. He once admitted that he didn't like those works that "just looked like art" when he was younger, yet today, he uses clay, ceramics, and performance to discover his own artistic voice. This voice is alive and does not intend to please anybody. It goes beyond form and finds a subtle balance between disorder and harmony. In many ways, does not this pursuit of balance reflect the essence of Zen itself?

Click here to see Flower Vessel and Clay Hitting self on DART Magazine

在泥土与瓷器之间：天纵的当代公案

This article is orginaly written in Chinese：

泥土是创造的基础，还是一种无声的对抗？

南北朝时期，达摩来到中国，与梁武帝展开了一场关于佛教实践的对话。梁武帝推崇通过修建寺庙、抄写经文等功利性实践来彰显信仰，而达摩却认为这些形式化的行为遮蔽了佛教本应传递的真实洞见。这场理念上的分歧促使达摩前往嵩山少林寺，开启九年面壁的修行。据传，他的身影最终被“印”在石壁上。这一极具传奇色彩的故事，不仅成为禅宗的一大文化象征，也象征了个体与环境交互中留下的持久痕迹。这种印记既是对存在的确认，也是对超越形式束缚的追寻，同时深刻启发了天纵的 Hitting Self 系列作品。

Clay Hitting Self 是天纵“Hitting Self”系列作品中最具代表性的一件。录像记录了艺术家闭眼盘坐在镜头前，被从镜头外扔来的泥土反复击打的过程。泥土粗粝的质感与飞溅的不确定性，使画面充满张力。随着泥土的撞击与声音的回荡，白色背景墙上逐渐形成了一道人形轮廓。最终，天纵离开镜头，仅留下了墙上的印记。这个印记不仅是艺术家身体与外界力量对抗的结果，也是创作过程中恐惧与行动之间的象征性互动。

天纵在与我们的采访中分享，曾几何时，他是一个犹豫行动的人，而他的犹豫源于对可能性收窄的恐惧。他相信，只要不做决定，无限的潜能就仍然存在。然而，在这件作品中，泥土作为一种媒介，承载了他对创作即兴性的重新发现。泥土是制作陶瓷的传统材料，但在这件作品中，它不仅是塑造工具，更成为表达恐惧与突破的象征。天纵通过将最简单的扔泥巴行为转化为艺术语言，强调了创作的直接性与原始性。泥土的击打既是一次外化的身体抗争，也是对材料意义的再定义。尽管观众无法亲临现场，录像中的视听张力却成功将他们带入这场动态的创作过程，促使他们思考：泥土是创造的基础，还是一种无声的对抗？

相比于 Clay Hitting Self 的动态张力，Flower vessels 则展现了一种精致而深刻的文化与权力探索。作品中的陶瓷模仿导弹形态，同时融入了中国传统陶瓷工艺。这些陶瓷有的表面覆盖着金属性的釉彩，有的被塑造出了坑坑洼洼或像树皮般龟裂的质感，有的布满了整整齐齐的手写“哈哈哈”（hahaha）或“嘻嘻嘻”（xixixi）。这些刻字的背后是跨文化的模糊性，它们对不同观众呈现出不同的意义：对于懂中文的观众，它们带有挑衅的幽默，嘲讽了权力的庄严；而对于不了解中文的观众，它们更像中国传统的装饰性图案，与陶瓷的美学设计相辅相成。此外，陶瓷铭文“天纵年制”模仿古代帝王年号，传统上象征着权力与秩序。但在天纵的作品中，这一形式被解构为艺术家个人对世界的重新定义。

展览空间中的陶瓷被整齐排列成导弹队列，仿佛一场军事阅兵。这种刻意的布局强化了权力的象征性张力，让观众感受到秩序的强制性。然而，幽默的刻字削弱了这种严肃性，为作品注入了一种轻松又讽刺的氛围。这种张力的二元性，不仅贯穿于作品的视觉设计，也反映了天纵对身份和权力的深刻反思。

泥土的击打与陶瓷的精致排列，虽然形式迥异，却在天纵的创作哲学中相辅相成。他的艺术实践游走于传统与反叛、即兴与秩序之间，试图重新定义规则的意义。如果说 Clay Hitting Self 是一场外化的身体对抗，那么 Flower vessels 则是一次内省的文化批判。两者在禅宗智慧的框架下，找到了一种混乱与秩序的平衡。

天纵的创作旅程是一场对艺术边界的持续探索。他曾坦言，自己曾对那些“看起来像艺术”的作品嗤之以鼻，而如今，他用泥土、陶瓷和行为找到了属于自己的艺术语言。这种语言拒绝迎合，却充满活力，超越了形式的束缚，在混乱与秩序的张力之间找到了一种微妙的平衡。而这种平衡，不正是禅宗所追求的智慧吗？

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