From international dissemination to encountering epistemic diversity: communication about art and the art of communication in the Comprehensive Collection of Ancient Chinese paintings

This paper reconceptualizes the international dissemination of A Comprehensive Collection of Ancient Chinese Paintings (the Series) not merely as cultural transmission or global circulation, but as an epistemic practice of exchange that transcends disciplinary, professional, and geographical, and cultural boundaries. Drawing on perspectives from communication science, intercultural exchange, and art–science interaction, the paper examines how dissemination functions as an epistemic practice that both translates and generates knowledge. First, it situates art communication and dissemination as a site of knowledge creation and epistemic encounter rather than a passive transfer of information to audiences (communicating about art). Second, it argues that the Series enables epistemic innovation and diversity through the interaction between multiple, heterogeneous knowledge practices, facilitated by cross-cultural dialogue and inter- and transdisciplinary exchange. Finally, it discusses the interactive and engaging dissemination practices through which the Series is translated to broader audiences, focusing on experiential, sensory, and narrative forms of engagement in immersive exhibitions and digital media platforms (the art of communication). The paper argues that a significant value of the Series lies in its capacity to function as an epistemic infrastructure: one that not only transmits and circulates knowledge on Chinese art and cultural heritage, but also enables encounters between different ways of knowing and, as a result, generates new forms of understanding and epistemic diversity.