Past Exhibition

March Exhibition on Two International Chinese Artists:

01 Mar - 31 Mar  |  2010
Introduction
Chinyee青意 (born 1929 Nanjing, China), a Chinese New York-based female artist whose work combines both Eastern spirit and Western expression, has been esteemed by critics as “Lyrical Abstraction”. Her gestural and loose brushstrokes reflect both Asian brush techniques and years of careful study of modernist abstraction. The spontaneity of touch, the sense of excitement in the off-set compositions, and the unexpected bursts of colours are all genuine expressions of her mood, emotions and life experiences.

In 1947, she was awarded a four year scholarship to study fine arts at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York. She then went on to receive a Master’s degree in Art Education from New York University in 1952. Her first solo exhibition held at Mi Chou Gallery, New York in 1965 heralded the beginning of a long career of frequent solo and group exhibitions, including the 1997 renowned travelling exhibition “Asian Traditions Modern Expressions; Asian American Artists and Abstraction 1945-1970”, curated by Jeffrey Wechsler, which toured for two years throughout the United States, Japan and Taiwan. In addition, her work has been honoured by UNICEF in its educational films, and by the U.S. Department of States “Art in Embassies Program”. The artist’s first solo exhibition in China was held at the Shanghai Art Museum in 2007 by Alisan Fine Arts.

Hsiao Chin 蕭勤 (born 1935 Shanghai, China, currently lives in Italy) belongs to the second generation of Chinese artists who have gone abroad to study, following the footsteps of well- known Chinese artists Lin Fengmian and Xu Beihong. In 1956, Hsiao received a scholarship from the Spanish Government and continued to pursue art in Barcelona. He stayed there for three years before settling down in Milan, Italy. While in Spain, Hsiao became friends with several artists who founded the "Informalism group". These artists included Tapies and Millares. In 1961, Hsiao founded the Punto International Art Movement in Milan with several Italian and Japanese artists. He went to New York in 1966 and began to engage himself in hard-edge paintings characterized by striking parallel colored strips, creating a world of dynamic tension. In 1975, he began painting ideogrammatic forms on a subdued background with tempera and ink. His interest in Oriental philosophy prompted him to seek something that is akin to Taoist philosophy:simplicity,purity,and nothingness. His paintings are concerned with the duality principle, the balance between Yin and Yang. Hsiao insists that the mental state of the painter is of the utmost importance. Each painting is a record of the mind of the painter at a certain space and time. In this way, Hsiao's paintings became visual records of his inner state in which he tries to be in accord with the Taoist principles.

Since 1957 Hsiao Chin has held over 60 one-man shows and has participated in almost 100 group and solo shows throughout Europe, Taiwan, and the United States. He has also organized traveling European Contemporary Art exhibitions in Taiwan as well as traveling exhibitions of Chinese paintings in Europe.