Ink Studies: Everyday Practices of Calligraphy in Contemporary China

Just published!

Laura Vermeeren

Ink Studies explores contemporary practices of calligraphy in China, situating them in both a precarious and dynamic position. While people are increasingly writing less due to digitization, calligraphy is experiencing a revival partly fueled by governmental directives that promote “creativity” as a powerful discourse contributing to economic development. This book unravels intertwined imaginations of contemporary calligraphy in five different visual cultural fields in China today: calligraphy education, water calligraphy in public parks, modern calligraphic art, digital calligraphy and calligraphic font design. The various visual representations of the calligraphic sign within these fields are approached as active agents, demanding various physical and moral behaviors from practitioners. While calligraphy and creativity are often pitted against each other, as the nature of calligraphy is sustained through a culture of copying, the book challenges the perception of calligraphy as a static art, arguing instead for its creative potential in both formal and grassroots contexts. 

"Vermeeren's volume is the long-awaited 'missing course' for understanding Chinese calligraphy beyond conventionalized narratives. Focusing on new forms of shufa practice in everyday lives of Chinese people, it offers rich and gratifying food for thought on creativity, modernity, and the value of art in cultural politics and broader human experiences."  -- Yu Li, Loyola Marymount University

Laura Vermeeren is Assistant Professor of Cultural Heritage and Cross-Media at the University of Amsterdam, with a background in Chinese studies and a focus on creativity, everyday practices, and visual culture.

Publication Year: 2025
236 pp, 229 x 152mm
39 b/w images
Paperback
ISBN: 978-981-325-297-4