The American University of Rome is proud to celebrate the latest exhibition by Professor Mei Chen Tseng, an internationally recognized artist and a member of AUR’s Fine Arts faculty. The Great Image Has No Form, curated by Mario Finazzi, opens on 19 February 2026 at Galleria Aleandri Arte Moderna, marking a significant moment in Tseng’s ongoing artistic and scholarly practice.
Based in Rome for many years, Tseng has developed a distinctive visual language that bridges Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Her work is grounded in the demanding technique of wood engraving, a medium that allows for extraordinary fineness of line and a meticulous attention to detail. At first glance, her images appear almost mimetic, echoing Western traditions of representation. On closer inspection, however, subtle disruptions in perspective and rhythm reveal a conceptual framework deeply rooted in Chinese painting and philosophy.
The exhibition brings together large-scale prints created over several years, drawing on Tseng’s enduring engagement with landscape as both subject and metaphor. Rocks and water recur throughout the works - evoking the rocky coastlines of Sorrento, the vastness of the Baltoro Glacier, and the mountains of her native Hualien, Taiwan. These images recall the classical Chinese tradition of shān shuǐ huà (mountain-and-water painting), while reinterpreting it through a contemporary, transnational lens.
Central to The Great Image Has No Form is Tseng’s exploration of duality. The stark interplay of black and white, positive and negative space - fundamental to printmaking - mirrors the Taoist principles of yin and yang, in which opposing forces are understood as complementary and interdependent. A key series within the exhibition reimagines the eight trigrams of the I Ching, translating their symbolic configurations - water, lake, mountain, fire, earth, wind, heaven, and thunder - into a powerful visual language shaped by Tseng’s command of mark-making and her sustained study of both Western and Chinese masters.
Rather than seeking fixed forms, Tseng’s work invites viewers into a continuous oscillation between opposites. The result is not a literal depiction of nature, but a deeply personal vision of reality - one that reflects lived experience, cultural memory, and quiet yet unsettling reflections on the contemporary world.
For AUR students, Tseng’s exhibition practice exemplifies the caliber of artist-scholars who teach in the university’s Fine Arts programs. Her international exhibition record, combined with prestigious recognitions such as the Kala Fellowship in Berkeley, underscores the professional depth she brings into the classroom. Students benefit directly from this proximity to active, globally engaged artists - learning not only technique, but how rigorous research, cultural dialogue, and artistic risk-taking translate into sustained creative careers. The Great Image Has No Form stands as a compelling example of how world-class teaching and world-class artistic practice intersect - creating extraordinary opportunities for the next generation of artists.
Exhibition details
The Great Image Has No Form
Galleria Aleandri Arte Moderna, Via dell’Aracoeli 7, Rome
Opening: Thursday, 19 February 2026, 6:00 pm
Exhibition dates: 20 February – 20 March 2026
Catalogue curated by Mario Finazzi and Simone Aleandri; published by Edizioni Aleandri Arte Moderna