Form Without Form《大象無形》: Joseph Tham’s Journey in Ink -- A Contemporary Dialogue between Ink, Form and the Invisibles
Updated: Aug 28
For immediate release
Shanghai – June 13, 2026
FORM WITHOUT FORM, an exhibition featuring artworks by Chinese Canadian physician and theologian Professor Joseph Tham, will be held jointly with guided tours, talks, calligraphy demonstrations and workshops at HIRI Taikoo Hui from June 13 to July 5.
Originally a medical doctor, Joseph Tham is a Fellow of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights. He is the former dean of the School of Bioethics in Regina Apostolorum (Rome) where he presently teaches bioethics. As an artist, his works have been exhibited in Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Toronto and Rome.
This exhibition traces the journey that began with the artist as a young man, born in Hong Kong then educated in Canada, shaped by his experience as a physician in Medical Missions in Africa and then in Rome. His path found resonance in the artist's reading in Dao De Jing as 'form without form'. The collected ink paintings, calligraphy, poetry, and seal engravings are presented as dialogue: an exploratory blend of traditional crafts, ancient Chinese philosophy, and aesthetics in spirituality. A brushstroke can be restrained or free; a landscape can open a silent distance from the noise of the city; a single character can carry love, sorrow, irony, faith, and memory. In Joseph’s work, traditional Chinese ink is not presented as a fixed heritage, but as a living language capable of speaking to contemporary anxieties, spiritual questions, and the invisible forces shaping human life.
The biggest work exhibited titled “Celestial Fountain - Iguazu Falls” in 3.5m high and 1.5m wide brings the audience a glimpse of the breathtaking natural wonder in the world through the extraordinary lens of the artist.
Around this central body of work, the exhibition brings Joseph Tham into dialogue with a group of contemporary artists including Karma M. Barnes (New Zealand), Mario Valdés (Spain), Vittorio Mandelli (Italy) , Kuo-Hsiang Kuo (Taiwan), Gosia Wojas (Poland), Dongli Ma (PRC), and Steve Lecru (France). Selected from international exhibition platforms such as the Arte Laguna Prize 20th Anniversary Exhibition in Shanghai, these artists contribute diverse perspectives through painting, sculpture, installation, technology, and mixed media. Together, their works extend the exhibition’s exploration of transformation, perception, memory, and the invisible forces that shape human experience, creating a contemporary dialogue around Laozi’s concept of “大象無形” (the greatest form is without shape).
Details of the exhibition are as follows:
Date: June 13 – July 5, 2026
Time: 10:00 – 22:00 daily
Venue: W103, Taikoo Hui, Shimen Road (No.1), Jing'an District, Shanghai, PR CHINA
Jointly presented by Triune Harmony, No Name Studio, 768 Gallery, and in partnership with the HIRI Taikoo Hui, this presentation is a unique offering in the cultural metropole. The audience is invited not only to view the works but also participate in a series of activities curated around the thematic experience of the exhibition space, including guided tours, talks, live demonstrations, workshops in calligraphy and seal design, artists' round table moderated by curator Carlo Maria Rossi.
The organisers acknowledge the public minded patrons who made this presentation possible, the Gold Patrons are Ms Agnes Mak, Professor Denis Chang, and the Wofoo Foundation.
Special thanks to Wofoo Foundation being Triune Harmony’s 2025-27 Season’s Patron.
About the Curatorial Team
Carlo Maria Rossi is an Italian curator and cultural entrepreneur based in Shanghai. As founder and director of NONAME STUDIO, he develops artist residency programs, exhibitions, and international cultural initiatives that promote artistic research, cultural exchange, and collaboration between China and the international contemporary art community.
Tiffany GT, from Hong Kong, founder of GT’s House and 768 Gallery, which is established in Shanghai in 2022, specializing in contemporary art. She is redefining Shanghai’s contemporary art scene by blending traditional ‘white cube’ gallery with an innovative lifestyle and clubhouse concept, aiming to amplify emerging artists internationally, and carry the torch of family heritage in culture legacy.
Vivien Lee, A seasoned arts administrator, Vivien has been active in Hong Kong and Shanghai over the two decades; She worked as a member of the senior management in the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society and the HK Philharmonic Orchestra. She was the Program Manager of the Arts Administration dept of Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and her course on Development for the Arts ran for ten years; She is one of the co-founders of Fringe Shanghai (2006-2011).
Media Contact: Edmund Li (WeChat: abcdedmund, mobile: 19820509562)
For participating workshops, please fill in the following form for registration.
【Tencent File】“Form Without Form" Exhibition public workshop registration form: https://docs.qq.com/form/page/DYUpoSEFUSUJQWFVS
