Whither Goest Thou , 2020
Yuan Daxi began his training in Chinese calligraphy, ink art, Western painting and classical music since a young age. Yuan follows the “spirit of scholars” of traditional Chinese culture, with the belief that an artist should be interdisciplinary. Confucianism required ancient scholars to master six practical disciplines, including ritual, music, archery, chariot-riding, calligraphy and mathematics. The involvement of different disciplines gives a scholar the necessary all-round abilities to pursue higher spiritual levels and thoughts, a state of mind that Yuan is trying to achieve through his artistic practice. Yuan treats his creative process as meditations, a way to invoke his inner light and waken his deeper level of subconscious mind.