‘Sean Scully: Sublime and Sunyata’ at Art Museum of Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Sichuan, China

11 June 2025

From 12 June – 12 October 2025, the Art Museum of Sichuan Conservatory of Music, China presents ‘Sean Scully: Sublime and Sunyata’ which features 40 works including large-format paintings, sculptures and photographs.

Curated by Dr. Jiang Jun, the exhibition explores the convergence of two distinct yet spiritually resonant traditions: the Western concept of the Sublime and the Eastern notion of Śūnyatā (emptiness). While the Sublime evokes transcendence through awe and the boundless, Śūnyatā embraces openness, detachment, and the meditative present.

Scully’s work is positioned at the intersection of these two philosophies. Rooted in Minimalism but deeply emotional in tone, his paintings carry both the restraint and purity associated with Śūnyatā and the metaphysical weight of the Sublime. Through his signature blurred stripes and densely layered brushwork, Scully invites viewers into a contemplative space—one that transcends narrative and touches on consciousness, time, and spirit.

The exhibition includes key paintings that highlight Scully’s philosophical and painterly evolution since the 1980s, emphasising his dual engagement with formal austerity and emotional depth. As Dr. Jiang notes, Scully’s art offers not a dichotomy between East and West, but a bridge—allowing transcendence and stillness to coexist on canvas.