The Walker Series by Tsai Ming-liang is an ongoing body of work begun in 2012 that redefines cinema as an act of duration, presence, and contemplation. Conceived as a series of minimalist films, it follows a monk-like figure – portrayed by Tsai’s longtime collaborator Lee Kang-sheng – who moves at an almost imperceptibly slow pace through contemporary urban and natural landscapes. Barefoot and dressed in a flowing red robe, the Walker advances step by step through crowded streets, public squares, train stations, museums, and shorelines, transforming everyday environments into sites of heightened perception.

Rather than constructing narrative arcs, Tsai approaches each film as a meditation on time and space. The Walker’s extreme slowness disrupts the accelerated rhythms of modern life, inviting viewers into a different temporal experience – one that recalls Buddhist practice and the discipline of pilgrimage. Inspired in part by the historical monk Xuanzang and by Tsai’s own reflections on spiritual and cinematic stillness, the series shifts attention away from plot and toward the textures of movement, light, sound, and architectural form. The camera remains patient, often fixed, allowing the world to unfold around the solitary figure.

Across its ten films – No Form (2012), Walker (2012), Diamond Sutra (2012), Sleepwalk (2012), Walking on Water (2013), Journey to the West (2014), No No Sleep (2015), Sand (2018), Where (2022), and Abiding Nowhere (2024) – the series traverses multiple geographies, from Taipei and Kuala Lumpur to Marseille, Tokyo, Paris, and Washington, D.C. Each location shapes the Walker’s presence differently: in dense cities, his measured steps cut through the anonymous flow of passersby; in open landscapes, his movement merges with wind, water, and horizon. Over time, the project has expanded beyond cinema screens into museums and gallery installations, reinforcing its dialogue with contemporary art.