Catholic artist’s Chinese-inspired Christian art on display near the Vatican

By Courtney Mares

Vatican City, Sep 23, 2025 /
14:42 pm

Catholic artist Hsieh Sheng-Min’s colorful art, currently featured in an exhibition near the Vatican, draws inspiration from traditional Chinese woodblock printing and blends Eastern cultural motifs with biblical scenes.

“As a Catholic, I study the Bible. When I come across passages in the Bible that move me, I seek to create art inspired by them,” Hsieh said in an interview with CNA.

“I also ask priests about their interpretations of Scripture. I try to find in the Bible the passages that can be visualized — the ones that touch me — and then I attempt to create from them.”

The art exhibition, hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Holy See, opened at the Pontifical Urbaniana University on Sept. 18. It includes around 30 original pieces, including some specifically created for the 2025 Jubilee. Cardinal Silvano Maria Tomasi, the pontifical delegate of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and other Vatican officials attended the opening.

Hsieh, a professor of digital media design at Asia University in Taiwan, said his art draws on what he calls “Taiwanese Biblical Iconography,” a genre he said exemplifies how Christianity can take root in different cultural traditions. 

“We learn from others, because when we look back to the Ming dynasty, when Matteo Ricci and the missionaries first came to China, they immediately adopted Chinese clothing and learned the Chinese language, hoping that the Church could spread more widely,” he said. “In the same way, in Taiwan, I also use Taiwanese elements, hoping that most people in Taiwan will understand that this Western religion can, in fact, be integrated with Taiwanese traditions.” 

Among the works on display is a Chinese-style depiction of the Sermon on the Mount. “I am deeply moved by the Beatitudes found in the Gospel, the so-called Sermon on the Mount, because here Jesus identifies eight types of people as blessed,” Hsieh said. “The East also places great emphasis on blessings. Thus, we transformed the Eight Immortals of Eastern mythology — eight divine beings — into the eight figures of the Beatitudes. This truly represents a distinctly Chinese approach to spiritual interpretation.”

“This also represents the continuity of the Church’s tradition — from the earliest times of Peter, through later figures such as Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi — a single unbroken line of inheritance, which is also the tradition of the Church,” he added.

Another piece depicts the Virgin Mary in an Eastern style surrounded by scenes from the joyful mysteries of the rosary.

“Scripture verses are written directly into the artwork” in Chinese characters, Hsieh explained.  

Other works show Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey and as the Good Shepherd.  

Hsieh’s work is inspired by traditional woodblock printmaking. He begins with brush outlines, layering colors one by one, and then digitally assembles and enlarges the images. He said he hopes that viewers will see in his art the “blessing that comes from the grace of God.” 

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“This exhibition reminds me that art itself is a form of prayer, a form of pilgrimage,” he said. 

Taiwanese Ambassador to the Holy See Anthony C.Y. Ho praised Hsieh’s work at the opening, saying it “reveals not only his personal faith as a Catholic but also his deep love for his homeland.”

The exhibition remains on display at the Taiwanese Embassy to the Holy See, just steps from St. Peter’s Basilica.

Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees. She is the author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers” (Ignatius, 2023), https://ignatius.com/carlo-acutis-sscap/.