Tacit to Explicit: How Can ‘Gan Jue Cinema’ be Illuminated?

This practice-based research unveils and enriches Gan Jue as a moving image practice. Gan Jue is a concept diffused in Chinese culture whose exact essence is debated and elusive. It does not translate to English easily, and is approximated as ‘feeling’, ‘sensation’, or ‘perception’. It has ancient roots and is tacitly acknowledged to occupy a dynamic position within Chinese art, including cinema. Nevertheless, few scholarly investigations shed light on its manifestations, performances, and power either in indigenous community or international. This research addresses this scholarly gap through the production of my own video works, a curatorial practice, and a written thesis. It is a journey through my own experiences in exploring a form of felt presence of Gan Jue as it entangles my own audio-visual practice. It’s original contribution to knowledge includes new works: Inhabitation (2020), A Gaze Game (2020), A Truth Hunter (2021),Water: Life (2021) and The Tale of Catching the Wind: The Evil Woman’s Magnificent Duel (2022–2023) as well as a virtual exhibition Chinese Gan Jue (2021-2022) that exchanges works and ideas on the cinematic practice and communication of Gan Jue with a broad group of practitioners around the world.

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