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About the artist
OU TINGZHU
Ou Tingzhu, born in China in 1991, is one of the most quietly radical voices in contemporary Asian art. A graduate of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, where he earned a Master’s degree in lacquer art in 2017, his sculptural practice unfolds through a dialogue between form, process, and material spirituality.
Far from the traditional functionality of lacquer objects, Ou steps into the realm of pure sculpture, treating each piece as an invitation to contemplation. His work revolves around two conceptual series: Towers and Enclosed Landscapes. Both investigate the tension between monumentality and ephemerality, between symbolic structures of power and the fleeting gestures of nature.
In Towers, he channels an enduring fascination with sharp, vertical forms—towers, obelisks, columns—transforming them into relic-like presences or silent monuments. These works evoke universal archetypes of reverence and dominance, while subtly questioning them by embracing their inherent fragility.
His use of natural lacquer, a material deeply rooted in the traditions of Asian art, is at the core of his process. Each piece is the result of repetitive gestures—cutting, applying, sanding, dusting—that demand time, devotion, and humility. For OU, the material is not controlled but accompanied. Dust, waiting, layering, and patience shape each sculpture into a physical space of reflection, where time becomes visible.
OU Tingzhu belongs to a generation of artists reshaping the connection between body, technique, and spirituality in contemporary Asian art. His work resists spectacle. Instead, it asks us to slow down, to observe with precision, and to dwell in stillness.
