Women Artists

In celebration of International Women’s Week, Alisan Fine Arts will be presenting the works of seven Chinese women artists during the month of March. These artists include Tseng Yu-ho, Chinyee, Hoo Mojong, and Mary Chuang, who, having left China in the late 1940s and 1950s, belong to the Chinese Diaspora. Other artists featured are Hong Kong artists Pat Hui and Man Fung-yi, as well as mainland Chinese artist Yu Wei.

Hoo Mojong (b. 1924, Shanghai, China, currently residing in Paris, France) creates figurative works that include oils and works on paper. The subject matter revolves around everyday objects such as fruits, vegetables, and figures. Similar to her personality, her art is strong, down-to-earth, warm, and direct. Having lived most of her artistic life in Paris, she is better known in the West than in Hong Kong, until recently when she held several exhibitions in China.

Tseng Yu-ho (b. 1925, Beijing, China, currently residing in Hawaii, USA) has lived in Hawaii for over 50 years. She describes her works as diverse, imaginative, traditional, and universal. Having been involved with many artistic movements throughout her life—first in China, then Hawaii, Taiwan, Europe, and America—her works reflect her broad artistic experience.

Chinyee (b. 1929, Nanjing, China, currently residing in New York, USA) associates herself with the New York school of Abstract Expressionism. Her works combine both Eastern spirit and Western expression. Bold and colorful, her works are full of life and excitement. She recently had a 50-year retrospective at the Shanghai Art Museum, China.

Mary Chuang (b. 1935, Canton, China, currently residing in New York, USA) began painting in the late 1950s. Her figure paintings are reminiscent of China in the 1920s, depicting women leisurely fanning themselves or getting dressed to go out. These scenes are painted from her childhood memories growing up in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau. After graduating with a BA in Art from Taiwan Normal University in 1958, she founded the Fifth Moon Group, which led Taiwan’s renaissance art scene. Before moving to America, she was a professor of art at Taichung Home Economic College. Her works have been exhibited extensively in the USA and Taiwan.

Pat (Suet-Bik) Hui (b. 1943, Hong Kong, currently residing in Minneapolis, USA) creates paintings full of vibrant colors and sweeping brushstrokes, accompanied by writings of classical Chinese poetry. As she explains, “My painting style is based on my love for nature, classical Chinese poetry, a longing for the freedom of expression in western expressionism, my feeling for the color sense of impressionism, my passion for Chinese calligraphy, and a strong belief in abstraction.” She studied under renowned Hong Kong artist Lui Shou-Kwan.

Yu Hui (b. 1960, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China) paints in the Chinese traditional Gong Bi style. Her intricate paintings, which mostly depict flowers and birds, have a feminine quality. After graduating from the Jiangsu Institute of Fine Arts, Yu Wei won many national awards. Her works have been exhibited in London, Japan, Hong Kong, and throughout China.

Man Fung-yi (b. Hong Kong, 1968) is the youngest of the group. Man graduated from the Department of Fine Art at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1990 and received her Master’s in Fine Art in 1999. She has participated in many local and international exhibitions, winning numerous awards in Hong Kong and overseas. Her works are collected by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and private collectors. Her sculptures, made of stainless steel and brass, evoke a feeling of coolness, quiet, and peace.