Eastern philosophy flows through China pavilion at Malta Biennale

Built in the 16th century, Fort St Elmo, at the tip of Malta's Sceberras peninsula, once bore witness to the conflicts and occupations of different civilizations in the country's diverse history. These days, this heritage site in Valletta — also home to the National War Museum — has become a stage for cultural diversity, serving as one of the locations for the ongoing Malta Biennale.

Works from around the world have been gathered on the Mediterranean Sea archipelago and are on show at thematic exhibitions and national pavilions from March 11 to May 29.

Launched in 2024, the biennale turns the Maltese islands into a melting pot of international artistic creativity.

For the second time, Chinese artists are sharing a presence at the event, with a variety of works on display at the Chinese pavilion that are imbued with an Eastern philosophical take on water, addressing this year's theme, "Clean, Clear, Cut".

The theme of the Chinese pavilion — The Realm of Clarity: Ecological Foresight and Civilizational Exchange in Oriental Wisdom — centers on water as a medium for cultural exchange. In Chinese cultural tradition, water also carries symbolic meaning, encouraging reflection on the self and on relationships with others, society and nature, according to Ying Jinfei, curator of the Chinese pavilion and director of Zhejiang Art Museum. Most of the works on display come from the collection of the museum in Hangzhou, capital of the coastal province of Zhejiang.

"The Taoist concept of shang shan ruo shui (the highest good is like water) regards water as a dual symbol of life and morality — water nourishes all things without contention and adapts its form to the terrain," he says, adding that the works shown by 13 artists offer a reflective perspective on the connectivity and inclusiveness of water in the systems of both ecology and human society.

Many of the featured artists have long worked with the traditional technique of water-based woodblock printing which integrates painting, engraving and printing. Using wooden blocks as plates and water-soluble pigments, the technique re-creates on printed paper the distinctive texture of brushstrokes.

Chen Qi, a veteran print artist based in Beijing, is among the pioneers reviving this centuries-old art form through a semiabstract and expressive approach that honors its timeless beauty. His work on display, Spring River No 2, resembles a bird's-eye view of expansive emerald waters. Historically, woodblock printing was widely used to print texts or produce figurative images for decoration and festive celebrations.

Chen's minimalist explorations push the possibilities of this folk tradition in contemporary expression.

Minimalism is also the hallmark of paintings by Liang Quan, who is based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

It not only refers to the grids that he revisits and the muted palette he uses; it also conveys a meditative Zen state — the unity of the opposites of shi (the fullness) and xu (the emptiness) that he has explored for years.

In his two Chinese shuimo (ink and water) paintings on show, Tea and A Hint of Coffee — No 1 and No 2,Liang used leftover tea and coffee as pigments to open up a dialogue on the lifestyles of the East and the West.

Through imagery and the exploration of techniques, Ying says that the Chinese pavilion aims to create a poetic atmosphere that will usher visitors "into a state of 'clarity', allowing them to feel their minds purified, and have a longing for a harmonious world".

In June, the pavilion will head to Pulchri Studio, an artists' association and gallery founded in 1847, in The Hague, the Netherlands, marking the 10th anniversary of the China Cultural Center in the country.