By: Chris Chou

When discussing Guodong Fu’s art, one cannot overlook the profound influence of Tibetan culture. The ancient Eastern wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism has been a constant source of inspiration and a spiritual foundation throughout Fu’s artistic journey spanning over 22 years.

Fu has traveled to Tibet five times, including living there for an entire year between 2021 and 2022. Since 2011, she has studied mandala painting under Xi Mibu, a Tibetan thangka painter and pioneer of art healing in China, whose teachings have shaped her entire artistic life. In August 2013, Fu held her groundbreaking solo exhibition Daily Paintings in Beijing, showcasing over 600 mandala paintings. As the first artist in Chinese contemporary art history to integrate mandala—a spiritual practice tool of Tibetan Buddhism—into the context of contemporary art, this exhibition marked a pivotal moment. Daily Paintings signified Fu’s pioneering fusion of Tibetan spiritual traditions with Jungian depth psychology and Western contemporary art expression, establishing a unique personal artistic style while opening new paths for interdisciplinary dialogue.

That same year, Fu participated as an exhibiting artist in 21 Grams of the Soul, a mandala art group exhibition curated by Xi Mibu in Lhasa, Tibet. This exhibition was directly inspired by the profound impact of Fu’s Daily Paintings solo show earlier that year, bringing mandala art back to its cultural origin in Tibet while injecting it with a new contemporary artistic language. This groundbreaking cross-cultural dialogue not only bridged East and West but also broke boundaries between religion, psychology, spirituality, and art, expanding the possibilities for interdisciplinary integration.

Fu’s pilgrimages and cultural immersions have continued to deepen her artistic philosophy. In August 2022, she completed the arduous Mount Kailash kora pilgrimage in Tibet’s Ngari region—a journey considered by Tibetan Buddhism to be one of life’s sacred acts of devotion. These experiences have infused her work with a profound sense of spiritual authenticity and transformative power.

Mandala art, as Fu explains, is first and foremost personal—a tool that works on the level of individual consciousness, helping people confront their deepest inner energies and stories. But mandala is not limited to the personal realm. Through the many projects Fu advances at Gordon Rainbow Bridge Art Gallery—including collaborative works, exhibitions, and public art events—mandala is also becoming a powerful tool for deep interpersonal dialogue, using its unique visual language and symbolic system to connect people across dimensions that ordinary conversations cannot reach.

In 2025, Fu launched her public mandala art exhibition and interactive painting event series titled You Don’t Have to Stay Silent Anymore, curated through the Gordon Rainbow Bridge Art Gallery she co-founded. This series represents her latest integration of Tibetan meditation traditions with Western contemporary art methodologies. At these events, Fu invites participants to meditate together, then express their current energetic states through automatic painting, and finally exhibit their works onsite. Fu believes that this unique combination of meditation, creation, and exhibition opens the door to deeper human communication and connection, far beyond what ordinary exchanges can achieve.

“Art is the nondual path of expression and listening,” Fu says. “Only through free and complete expression, along with truly present listening, can those stories and energies in life that have nowhere to go be transformed. A genuine exhibition is the creation of a revolutionary space that allows for such total expression and listening.”

For Fu, mandala is no longer merely a spiritual practice tool; it is a living visual language that integrates Eastern wisdom with modern life, bridging religion and art, spirituality and psychology, and tradition and innovation. By transforming mandala art into a medium for social and cultural renewal, Fu continues to build her life’s work: an entirely new artistic paradigm rooted in the depths of Tibetan spiritual traditions yet fully alive in contemporary society.

To learn more about upcoming exhibitions and events at Gordon Rainbow Bridge Art Gallery, please visit: https://www.rainbowbridgeart.space/event-list

For information on Gordon Rainbow Bridge branded art T-shirts, please visit: https://www.gordonrainbowbridge.com/

To explore more of artist Guodong Fu’s works and projects, please visit: https://www.rainbowbridgeart.space/portfolio

Disclaimer: The content presented in this article is intended for informational and artistic exploration purposes only. The views and perspectives expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not represent medical, legal, psychological, or financial advice. References to spiritual practices, meditation, and personal healing through art are based on the artist’s individual experience and do not constitute therapeutic recommendations or guaranteed outcomes.