About
Personal Profile
Wu Ji-Tao, born in Tainan City, Taiwan in 1968, is a graduate of the Department of Fine Arts at the National Art Institute and the Graduate Institute of Art at Tunghai University. He studied under the mentorship of Mr. Li Yi-Hong and Mr. Ni Zai-Qin. Wu Ji-Tao is deeply committed to the creation of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, and his pursuits also encompass art criticism, exhibition curation, and other related roles. His work has garnered recognition, including the Eastern Rotary Club Art Award for Outstanding Artists in 1998 and the Wu San-Lien Art Award in the Ink Painting category in 2011. Over the course of his career, he has held 12 solo exhibitions, authored nearly 60 art critiques, and published 10 books. His artworks are held in collections at various art museums in Taiwan, including Taipei, Tainan, and Taichung, as well as at the White Rabbit Gallery in Australia. Private collectors and foundations also hold his art in high regard. Currently, Wu serves as a full-time Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Fine Arts at Taipei National University of the Arts.
Solo Exhibitions
2017 The Realm of Silence – Ink Painting by Wu, Chi-tao, Moon Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
2011 The Elegy for Doom / Solo of Wu, Chi-tao, Tunghai University Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
2010 Frontiers beyond the World / Solo of Wu, Chi-tao, Moon Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan
2009 Frontiers of Island - Overture / Solo of Wu, Chi-tao, Soochow University Arts Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 Wu, Shi-Wei and Wu, Chi-tao Double Solo Exhibition, Sincewell Gallery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
2006 Pu, Tzu ‧ Wu, Chi-tao Double Solo Exhibition, Arithis Fine Art, Taichung, Taiwan
2005 Floating Island – Wu, Chi-tao Album of Ink Painting Exhibition, The Mayor’s Residence Art Salon (Taipei, Taiwan) and Tunghai University Library, Taichung, Taiwan
2003 Wu, Chi-tao Album of Painting Exhibition, Arithis Fine Art, Taichung, Taiwan
2001 Barren Rock ‧ floating Island – a Poem without Words / Solo of Wu, Chi-tao, Tunghai University Art Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan
2000-1 Endless Desolation / Solo of Wu, Chi-tao, Providence University Art Center, Taichung, Taiwan ,Tainan Municipal Cultural Center, Taichung, Taiwan
1999 Desolation / Solo of Wu, Chi-tao, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan
Artist Statement
My perception of ink painting began to take root in my youth, allowing me to deeply connect with its inner essence.
Throughout my journey, through sketching expeditions and contemplative moments, from the structured landscapes of mountains and rivers to solitary island explorations, I gradually unraveled the interrelation between brush and ink and found reflections of my inner self through spiritual symbolism.
Starting with the publication of "Desolate Landscapes" in 1999, I have continuously sought remote and desolate places in nature, completing a trilogy with "Endless Barren Rocks" (2000), "Floating Islands" (2005), and "Elegy of the Apocalypse" (2011). These works can be seen as documenting the stages of exploration of the meaning of my existence.
As I grow older, I find inspiration in the styles of great artists expressed in art history, perceiving the spiritual connection between brushwork, artistic expression, and personality. Whether it's the grand and vibrant, the obstinate and warm, or the magnificently poetic and elegantly refined, they all evoke admiration and reverence. Brush and ink are not constraints but rather a means to elevate individual spirit. Tradition is not dogma but the preservation of the exemplary forms of painting and calligraphy. Through the unity of "calligraphy and painting as one," brush and ink stretch the boundless limits between representation and inner expression. Ink absorbs the vitality nurtured by "contemplation" and "life" in all things, internalizing and sublimating the union of perception and intention, transcending the freedom of selflessness.