While being a painter, in this video Dawo explains about the significance of capturing moments in photography. Photography shows the pathway of the artist. He also explains about focal point. In other words, if you change your focal point, you can get a completely different impression. Dawo also tells us about the process of perception when we look at an object of beauty. It should be slow so the beauty can be captured properly as if it is a nourishment for the soul.
Zhang Dawo is known for his many facets of art including photography. Dawo’s artistic nature is deeply rooted in the ancient culture of Jin-Shi (artistic etching and engraving of symbols and writing on metal and stone – 4 000 BC). At the same time, he has a fiery ambition of pushing the frontier of contemporary art. For the first 40 years of his life he totally immersed himself in traditional forms. Since 1982, he has overcome the classical barrier, by moving from the two dimensional into the three dimensional, a visual revolution made largely possible by the rearrangement of the spatial construction and the use of different tones of ink on special calligraphic paper. An example of this modern calligraphy is ‘Ce’ (Volume) which is considered as being “in the period of present-day Chinese art renaissance, unique and one of the most creative pieces of work”