CHA, Chapter 34 from The Works

“Painting is silent poetry. Poetry is blind painting.”— Leonardo da Vinci

In 2023, a new chapter began.

For years I had been fascinated by Chinese calligraphy. Not only by the beauty of the characters, but by the attention with which they were written. Every stroke seemed to arise from silence.

One afternoon I was invited to lunch with a Chinese family. After the meal, Changan Dong quietly unfolded sheets of rice paper, prepared his ink and brushes, and began his daily practice of writing poetry.

Watching him, an idea emerged.

What would happen if calligraphy and painting met, without either trying to explain the other?

We decided to begin a collaboration.

Changan created large calligraphic works, while I responded with paintings. We did not illustrate one another. Instead, each work remained independent, allowing image and language to exist side by side in dialogue.

Our first series revolved around Cha Dao—The Way of Tea.

Tea has always been more than a drink. It is a practice of attention, patience and presence. These were also the qualities that connected our two disciplines.

For the calligraphy, Changan chose classical Chinese poems. I responded not by translating their meaning into paint, but by listening to their atmosphere.

The result was neither Chinese nor Western.

It became a conversation.

A meeting between two artistic traditions, each speaking its own language, yet sharing the same silence.

Not every painting satisfied me. But the dialogue did.