The exhibition "L’art du trait de Chen Nan-Regard sur les caractères anciens chinois" (“Traces of Time-The Visual Artistry of Ancient Chinese Characters” by Professor Chen Nan) officially opened at the Musée Champollion-Les Ecritures du Monde de Figeac. Co-organized by the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, Musée Champollion-Les Écritures du Monde, France, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education, and Tsinghua University Research Center for Ancient Chinese Script Arts, the exhibition is a flagship cultural initiative celebrating the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations, the 61st anniversary of Sino-French ties, and the "International Chinese Language Day." Through digital art, interactive installations, and three decades of Professor Chen’s research on oracle bone scripts, bronze inscriptions, and seal scripts, the exhibition unveils the historical depth and contemporary vitality of Chinese civilization to European audiences.

   

Exhibition Highlights

1. Key Visual Design
The exhibition’s central logo merges the Egyptian hieroglyph for "eye" with the oracle bone script character "目" (eye) and "商" (Shang), symbolizing cross-cultural dialogue through phonetic wordplay. The poster features a towering structure of oracle bone animal glyphs, while the mascot "Oracle Sprite"—inspired by Chen’s decade-old sketches—depicts six cartoonized oracle characters representing human senses. The "目" (eye) and "见" (to see) glyphs, now the museum’s official mascot, guide visitors through the narrative, echoing the theme of discovering ancient scripts.

2. Cross-Civilizational Dialogue
Oracle bone scripts engage in proximity with global ancient writings:

·The scorpion-shaped oracle character "万" (ten thousand) accompanies an Egyptian scorpion deity statue.

·Deer ("鹿") and elephant ("象") glyphs dialogue with Mesopotamian artifacts.

·Crystal carvings of "水" (water) and "贝" (shell) nestle among Nile River relics.

·Dongba script works (Love and Friendship in Dongba Scripts) enrich the East Asian script section.

3. Art Installations & Digital Works

·Sensory Creature: A hybrid beast composed of six oracle glyphs symbolizing sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind.

·Harmony: A sculpture embodying human-nature unity.

·Oracle World: A 10-meter vertical calligraphic installation narrating Cangjie’s mythic creation of Chinese characters, dedicated to the Grain Rain solar term of "International Chinese Language Day."

·Seven monumental silkscreen prints of sensory glyphs adorn Figeac’s ancient walls, harmonizing with the Rosetta Stone replica below.

4. Graphic Design Showcase
Featured works include:

·The 2018 Decoration magazine cover juxtaposing Egyptian hieroglyphs and oracle "目".

·200 postcards displaying sketches, photographs, and geometric font designs.

·Grid-based typographic explorations bridging ancient aesthetics with modern minimalism.

5. Scholarly Manuscripts & Creative Sketches
Chen’s research drafts converse with Champollion’s archival notes in a dedicated gallery. A "cabinet of curiosities" reveals behind-the-scenes artifacts, from fieldwork diaries to experimental paintings.

6. Academic Publications
Monographs on display:

·Ninety-Two Rules of Character Structure: A Design Perspective

·Rhythmic Design

·The Allure of Chinese Characters

·A History of Chinese Character Design (50cm concertina-fold edition showcased digitally).

7. Cultural Product Design
Chen’s oracle bone-inspired designs balance scholarly rigor and public appeal:

·Picture books merging oracle scripts with Dunhuang color palettes.

·Animated and interactive reinterpretations transforming archaic glyphs into contemporary cultural symbols.

   

Opening Ceremony & Honors

Dignitaries in Attendance

·André Mellinger (Deputy Chair of Lot Department & Mayor of Figeac)

·Hélène Lacipière (Cultural Heritage Advisor)

·Céline Ramio (Director, Musée Champollion)

·Chen Nan (Curator, AADTHU Professor)

·Astrid Narguet (Co-Curator)

Key Speeches

André Mellinger, believes that the exhibition's works on the study of ancient Chinese characters demonstrate an exploratory path similar to that of Champollion, allowing people to glimpse and understand a writing system that carries an ancient civilization. Embarking on a journey of exploring oracle bone script in the museum's exhibition space not only reveals the antiquity and mystery of ancient characters but also marvels at the vitality and modernity they exhibit.

Chen Nan, believes that Chinese characters are not only written symbols for recording the Chinese language but also a carrier of culture. The characters themselves are the most important cultural symbols, containing profound philosophical and civilizational codes, and are integrated into daily life in rich design forms. This exhibition is a brand-new way of displaying, with the exhibited works interwoven with precious artifacts in the museum such as Mayan script, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and cuneiform; while the creative manuscripts are interwoven with Champollion's research manuscripts. In his speech, Chen Nan stated that this is a cross-temporal dialogue between the ancient and the modern, between oracle bone script and other ancient scripts of the world, and between the author himself and Champollion.

Céline Ramio, stated that on the occasion of "International Chinese Language Day," we are even more aware of the importance of dialogue between cultures. Champollion, born in Figeac and the person who successfully deciphered ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, shows us the significance of this cultural dialogue. Chen Nan's works, through the modern expression of these ancient characters, demonstrate that these ancient scripts can also be very modern and full of vitality. This cooperation between China and France is a brand-new attempt, and we hope it can last for a long time.

Astrid Narguet summarized that Chen Nan is dedicated to observing, researching, expanding, and analyzing the origins and development of traditional Chinese culture. This long and meticulous exploration process provides inspiration and impetus for his artistic creation. This exhibition takes "dialogue" as its core, facilitating the meeting of two civilizations with long histories. Both possess unique hieroglyphic writing systems, and the purpose of this dialogue is to construct a new intellectual landscape for the field of cultural research. In today's visual age, Chen Nan's artistic practice is of great practical significance and contemporaneity, opening up a brand-new form of artistic expression for ancient characters.



Award

Chen Nan received the Figeac Medal of Honor (limited to 20 pieces minted by Monnaie de Paris), recognizing his contributions to cross-cultural dialogue.

Permanent Collection
Chen’s digital print A History of Chinese Character Design: Ethnic Scripts entered the Musée Champollion’s permanent collection.

   

Academic Chair

Ma Sai
Dean, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
"Chen’s interdisciplinary synthesis transforms abstract cultural exchange into tangible encounters. When visitors collaboratively reconstruct characters, civilizational dialogue becomes embodied experience, a paradigm for 21st-century cultural diplomacy."

Academic Advisor

Qin Chuan
Party Secretary, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
"Oracle scripts’ aesthetic and philosophical codes fuel contemporary creativity. This exhibition exemplifies digital-era ‘civilizational dialogue,’ narrating China’s story through design innovation."

Fang Xiaofeng
Editor-in-Chief, Decoration; Vice Dean, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

"Chen’s three-decade journey transcends design boundaries. This is not merely an exhibition but a symphonic performance where ancient scripts converse across millennia."

Huang Dekuan
Director, Tsinghua Research Center for Excavated Texts
"Chen’s work harmonizes tradition and modernity, charting new frontiers for Chinese character art in global design discourse."

Liu Zhao
Director, Fudan University Research Center for Excavated Texts
"Chen’s typographic innovations—logos, posters, fonts—recontextualize oracle bones as cultural ambassadors, bridging past and present."

   

Exhibition Scene

艺术家简介

Artist Profile

Chen Nan

·Professor, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

·Deputy Secretary-General, Graphic Design Art Committee, China Artists Association

·Secretary of the Party Branch and Deputy Head, Department of Visual Communication Design, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

·Executive Deputy Director, Research Center for Ancient Chinese Character Art, Tsinghua University

Pioneering Contributions

·Promoter and practitioner of the Chinese Contemporary Ancient Character Revitalization Art Design Movement.

·Designer of the first Oracle Bone script font.

·Principal Investigator of the "Research on Ancient Chinese Character Art Design and Cultural Communication," a key national cultural project under the Ancient Characters and Chinese Civilization Inheritance and Development Project.

·One of the designers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games mascots.

·Invited speaker at UNESCO and other institutions.

·Held solo exhibitions at Beijing 751, Hubei Museum of Art, and the Netherlands' KoelwaterHal Art Space, toured in multiple countries.

·Lectured course selected as a National First-Class Undergraduate Course by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

·Published over 20 monographs, including "A History of Chinese Character Design."

·Recipient of the Second Prize for Outstanding Achievements in Scientific Research in Institutions of Higher Education from the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (8th and 9th sessions).