Open Parameters

Open Parameters is the official catalogue of the 2023 exhibition "Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Chinese Calligraphy and Paintings from the Cezong Zhou Donation"Curated and written by Zeng Jingwei, the book bridges art history, curatorial practice, and cross-cultural education.

Through the concept of curatorial activism, Zeng reinterprets Chinese literati art as an open dialogue between tradition and modernity, East and West. The catalogue presents works by Kang Youwei, Shen Zengzhi, and Zheng Xiaoxu, revealing how late Qing and Republican scholars used brush and ink to explore ideas of reform and self-awareness in a changing world.

Combining visual documentation with critical essays, Open Parameters challenges conventional narratives that separate "traditional" from "modern." By drawing comparisons between Chinese aesthetics and Western art-from Michelangelo's David to Greek sculpture-the book invites international readers to perceive the invisible spirit (qi yun, shi) of Chinese calligraphy and painting.

More than a record of an exhibition, Open Parameters embodies a living academic vision. It transforms the donated works of Professor Zhou Cezong into a bridge of understanding-linking cultures, time periods, and artistic philosophies-while reaffirming the global vitality of Chinese art in the modern world.

《仰看雲天》為威斯康辛大學舉辦之「周策縱教授捐贈晚清民國名家書畫展」同名圖錄，由曾經緯策劃、撰文與統籌完成。本書以「策展行動主義」（curatorial activism）為核心理念，橫跨藝術史、策展學與文化教育等領域，重新界定中國文人藝術在傳統與現代、東方與西方之間所展開的開放性對話。

圖錄收錄康有為、沈曾植、鄭孝胥等名家書畫作品，透過對筆墨思想的深入解析，揭示晚清至民國時期的文人如何在劇烈變動的時代中，以藝術回應思想革新與文化自覺。作品呈現與學術論述並行，打破「傳統／現代」的二元敘事框架，並以跨文化比較的方法（如與米開朗基羅《大衛像》及希臘雕塑之對照），引導國際讀者理解中國書法與繪畫中「氣韻」與「勢」等無形而深層的精神內涵。

《開放的維度》不僅是一部展覽紀錄，更是一份具有當代意義的學術宣言。它將周策縱教授的珍貴捐贈轉化為一座跨越文化與時代的理解之橋，使中國藝術在全球語境中煥發出新的生命力。