SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

The Great Image has No Form: Towards a Daoist Visual Theory

Can we indeed visualize the Dao?   Daoist visual culture has had a tremendous impact on religious life in traditional and contemporary China, but remains little understood. Discussions of Chinese art often use the word “Daoist” vaguely and haphazardly to refer to describe images of nature, there has been relatively little attention to the very rich visual materials used by Daoists in their practices. This presentation introduces Daoist visual culture as found in a variety of ritual settings, ranging from complex iconic programs deployed around Daoist altars, to graphic charts of the interior precincts of sacred mountains, to the aniconic talismanic scripts found both in texts and on amulets used in ritual. What are the functions of these various visual modalities? How did Daoists conceptualize and use different modes of visuality?  Finally, this paper will present a tentative attempt at a Daoist theory of visuality and perception.

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