August 8, 2025
The Shape of Thought: A Spiritual Landscape Between Lightand Darkness
This new series of oil paintings is my response to thefundamental questions that have followed humanity through history,civilization, and personal existence: Where do we come from? Where are wegoing? Along this path of extended reflection, reason and humanity intertwine,wisdom and desire coexist, and the soul drifts in struggle while also dancingin flames.
Each title in this series is a distillation—born frommoments of inner exploration and direct confrontation with the human condition.These are not isolated phrases, but a structured expression of how I perceivethe world and construct spiritual order.
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“Between Angel and Satan Lies Only a Single Thought”serves as the spiritual point of departure. Every debate about morality,belief, and choice originates from that fleeting spark in human consciousness.At every moment of decision, we stand between light and darkness.
From that point, “I Think, Therefore I Am” affirmsexistence. Thought is not an escape from reality, but a way to re-enter itfreely. In an age overwhelmed by information and desire, to remain self-awareis already an act of resistance.
The works in this series shift between the ancient and thecontemporary, the individual and the collective. Power and temptation areever-present. A small bird stands quietly between two figures—an image hintingat the delicate tensions of relationships, gender, and emotional entanglement.Within the seemingly gentle light and shadow, I have buried questions ofcontrol and liberation, loneliness and dependence.
I firmly believe that human nature is a theme thattranscends time. The era may change, tools may evolve, but fear, desire,struggle, and hope remain essentially the same. In “Burning Passion” and“The Road to the Distance”, I try to paint not only youthful impulse,but also the soul’s yearning for meaning and direction.
“The Proud Goddess” is my inward gaze at strength anddignity. She is not an object to be shaped, but a presence who actively gazesback at the world.
In the final work of the series, “The Interweaving ofReason and Humanity”, I do not offer an answer. Instead, I present thecomplexity of the question itself: human beings long for order and for freedom,for the noble and the carnal. It is this tension that keeps art alive.
Each painting is a spiritual cross-section. Each title is apunctuation mark in my ongoing dialogue with the world.
And each of these marks does not close a sentence, but opensthe door to the next question.
— Dada Duan
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