The inaugural International Online Exhibition of "Image Expressionism", curated by Dr. Huang Xiao, a professor, researcher and postgraduate supervisor at the International College of the Arts, Krirk University, Thailand, is calling for submission. This exhibition integrates artistic design with phenomenological psychology of perception, exploring the concrete manifestations of artistic philosophy and the diversity of its development. All interested art creators are welcome to submit their works. The submission and review process is free of charge. Final selections will be determined by the entire judging committee through rigorous evaluation. Selected works will be promoted through the exhibition’s various platforms.
Mirror Reflection and the Generation of "Jing" (Curatorial Statement)
Theoretical Foundation: Returning to the Origin of Perception
“Image Expressionism” is neither a simple replication of Western Expressionism nor a contemporary reworking of traditional Chinese freehand painting. Rather, it is an original artistic paradigm rooted in the deep integration of artistic phenomenology and classical Chinese aesthetics of jing (realm). Its theoretical core draws upon Husserl’s phenomenological reduction—“returning to the things themselves”—inherits Merleau-Ponty’s theory of embodied cognition emphasizing “the presence of the body,” and incorporates the spiritual essence of the Chinese aesthetic concept of artistic conception (yijing). Through a triadic structure of Realm (Jing) – Image (Xiang) – Expression (Biaoxian), it reconstructs the perceptual logic and expressive pathways of visual art.
Within this framework, “Realm” (Jing) refers to a spiritual field that transcends physical space, embodying the Eastern aesthetic qualities of the interpenetration of the real and the illusory, and the flowing vitality of qi. “Image” (Xiang) denotes the authentic visual manifestation revealed through phenomenological reduction, stripping away the obfuscation of conceptual cognition to restore the primordial appearance of things in perception. “Expression” (Biaoxian) is the natural outflow of lived experience and spiritual will, rejecting arbitrary emotional outbursts in favor of a unity between perceptual truth and spiritual meaning. These three dimensions generate one another, transcending the binary opposition between figuration and abstraction, and realizing an organic symbiosis between Western philosophical inquiry and Eastern cultural roots—thus offering a new theoretical coordinate system for contemporary visual art.
Exhibition Purpose: Constructing a Cross-Cultural Dialogue of Perception
The Inaugural International Online Exhibition of “Image Expressionism” is guided by the central vision: “Through mirrored images we perceive the authentic; through the emergence of realm we connect the world.” It aims to establish a cross-cultural platform for artistic dialogue within a global context.
At a time when digital media increasingly dissolves the ontology of art and AI-generated creation challenges traditional creative logic, this exhibition resists the alienation of art by technology. It firmly upholds the essential principle of the “perceptual warmth of human creation,” explicitly excluding AI-generated works in order to preserve the direct interaction between body and mind in the creative process.
We seek to bring together artists worldwide who explore the path of Image Expressionism. Whether through the tactile presence of easel painting, the perceptual capture of photography, or the virtual realms of digital painting, all are embraced as valid media. Through works spanning regions and mediums, the exhibition fosters dialogue around three core themes: perceptual manifestation, construction of realm, and expression of life. In doing so, it returns art to its primordial relationship between human beings and the world, highlighting the contemporary relevance of Eastern aesthetics and the universal significance of phenomenological art in a global context.
Practical Approach: Multidimensional Experiments in Image and Realm
Guided by the principle of “returning to perceptual experience and presenting diverse realms,” this exhibition constructs a multi-layered system of presentation.
In the selection of works, emphasis is placed on the realization of the “Image Expressionism” concept. This includes attention to the phenomenological reduction of objects—capturing their authentic visual manifestation—as well as the construction of spiritual realms through visual language such as color, composition, and texture. At the same time, the exhibition underscores the human and living qualities of creation, ensuring that each work embodies the artist’s genuine experience and reflection.
In terms of dissemination and presentation, the exhibition relies on the online platform “First Vision”, breaking the spatial limitations of physical exhibitions. Through high-resolution artwork displays, process analysis, and artist interviews, audiences are invited into an immersive engagement with the visual language of Image Expressionism. Open submissions are available globally, encouraging artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to interpret the concept within their own contexts, thereby enriching its meaning through practice and fostering diverse visual experiments on an international stage.
Significance of the Exhibition: A Global Expression of Eastern Aesthetics
The Inaugural International Online Exhibition of Image Expressionism holds significant theoretical and practical value.
At the theoretical level, it provides an international platform for the presentation and validation of Image Expressionism as an original artistic paradigm. It promotes the refinement of its theoretical system through cross-cultural exchange, advances the localization and global dissemination of phenomenological art in China, and challenges the dominance of Western art theory in contemporary visual discourse—contributing to the construction of an art theoretical framework grounded in Chinese cultural identity.
At the practical level, the exhibition offers a space for global artists to explore perceptual art, stimulating reflection on the essence of art in the technological age. It encourages innovative development across media such as easel painting, photography, and digital painting within the framework of Image Expressionism. Moreover, as an online exhibition, it transcends geographical and social barriers, providing broader access for creators engaged with perceptual experience. In doing so, it extends art from specialized circles into the public sphere, allowing the spiritual core of Eastern aesthetics to gain renewed vitality through global dialogue.
Submission Deadline: July 31, 2026
Submission Categories:
· Easel painting
· Photography
· Digital imaging
· Digital painting (excluding AI-generated artwork)
Eligibility:
Open to global enthusiasts of art/artistic phenomenology and supporters of the image expressionism concept worldwide.
Submission Method and Rules:
Each artist may submit up to two works (high-resolution images are required). Please include the title, medium, dimensions, year of creation, a photo of the artist, and a brief biography of approximately 200 words. All files should be sent in a compressed folder. The subject line of the email should be formatted as: (Artist’s Name + Image Expressionism).
Fee: No charge, no hidden fee.
Email addresses for submission:
srn568@qq.com
srn000srn@163.com
Profile of the Chief Curator:
Huang Xiao:
Scholar and Curator. Ph.D. from Fudan University, Postdoctoral Fellow at Brigham Young University, USA. Graduate Supervisor at the International College of Arts, Krirk University, Thailand; Visiting Researcher at Arkansas State University (Querétaro Campus); Academic Advisor to the Metropolitan Area University Consortium in Puebla, Mexico; Academic Moderator of the Chinese Art Phenomenology Salon.
Dr. Huang is also a Contributing Author and Core Academic Committee Member of the Journal of Art Spectrum; Guest Peer Reviewer for the Asian Arts and Society Journal and the Global Review of Humanities, Arts and Society.
Her publications include the English academic monograph Between Ice and Melt: Embodied Perception, Cross-Cultural Emotion, and Artistic Transformation in Educational Practice; Three Chinese Contemporary Artists: Plural Dimensions, Plural Revelations; the English cross-disciplinary experimental art anthology The Presence of the Transgressive Body: Art as Political Manifesto and Public Intervention; the Chinese translation of A History of Chinese Classical Scholarship, Volume II: Canon and Commentary; and the co-authored English monograph New Ideas Concerning Arts and Social Studies. She has also published multiple papers in peer-reviewed international academic journals.
Dr. Huang is currently a core member of the Major Project of the National Social Science Fund of China (Project No. 23&ZD236), titled "A Study of the Hermeneutical History of Chinese Classical Scholarship and the Collation of Exegetical Texts." The interim result of this project—The Triple Interaction of Classics, History, and Literature: Interpretation of Li Zhi's Four Books Critique from Global Perspectives—is forthcoming.
Dr. Huang's teaching, research, and curatorial practice continuously bridge Eastern and Western critical traditions, exploring the intersections of art, gender, ecology, and hermeneutics within an increasingly globalized academic landscape. Her curated exhibitions, including Pink Bomb, The Vivid Hues from the Deeper Depths of Dreams, A Forest on Paper, Dreams Within Pages, and Phantasmagoric Visions, are highly experimental and pioneering in nature.
Core principle of this exhibition:
To manifest lived reality through situational images,
and to embrace the world with the embodied self.
To return to the authenticity of perception, and to safeguard the generation of vision.
The medium is the situation-image; the process is manifestation.
Let relations emerge, and let the situation-images form themselves.
