Nature as Process
In this organic abstract painting series, I do not paint flowers or trees. I paint the force that makes them grow. “Biomorphic In Art” is an exploration of the biological rhythms of nature. Influenced by the Daoist concept of Ziran (自然 – Nature/Self-so), these works visualize the microscopic and macroscopic patterns of life—from the division of a cell to the flow of a river. It is not about the object, but the process of becoming.
1. The Ten Thousand Things (Wan Wu)
Microcosms of Ink
Daoism speaks of Wan Wu (万物 – The Ten Thousand Things), the infinite variety of forms born from the Dao. In these organic abstract paintings, I let the ink expand organically. Using wet-on-wet techniques, the pigment blooms on the paper like bacteria in a petri dish or moss on a stone. The forms are soft, rounded, and interconnected, suggesting a primordial state of life before it solidifies into defined shapes.
2. Vital Energy (Sheng Qi)
The Breath of Life
An organic painting must breathe. In Chinese art theory, this is called Sheng Qi (生气 – Life Breath/Vitality). Unlike my Constructivist works, which are built on hard geometry, these works are built on fluid movement. The brush does not construct; it flows. I try to capture the pulsating rhythm of blood or sap. The image is never static; it seems to be expanding beyond the edge of the paper.
3. Controlled Accidents
Growth and Decay in Organic Abstract Paintings
Nature is a cycle of growth (Yang 阳) and decay (Yin 阴). I mimic this cycle by allowing the ink to dry, crack, and bleed. I relinquish total control. Just as a gardener cannot force a plant to grow but can only guide it, I guide the ink but let the material have its own will. The beauty lies in the imperfections—the organic textures that no human hand could deliberately draw.
Biomorphic Abstraction
Life beyond Realism. These works connect to the Western tradition of Biomorphic Abstraction (like Arp or Miró), but they are grounded in Eastern materiality. They remind us that ink itself is an organic substance (soot and glue) and that painting is a living act.
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