LINE 笔。墨。纵。横 (1994-2014), Hong Zhu An

Line(1994-2014)

笔。墨。纵。横 Hong Zhu An

Line(1994-2014)

笔。墨。纵。横 Hong Zhu An

Soft flowing movement and hard gripped swipes that clutch to paper, leaving trails and bold strokes full of motion and emotion trip-ping along the page, bursting with movement, life and meaning. Calligraphy breathes struc-tured irregularities, like a dancer performing in-terpretative symbols; and just like the dancer, it is the symbol that speaks for itself, rendering the conceptual from its very form, writing lyri-cal screeds without words. As a man and art-ist who has immersed himself in the art of the unspoken, allowing meaning to emerge from within its own confines, it is no wonder that for Hong Zhu An, it all begins with the line.

For Hong Zhu An, Calligraphy is far more than a practice; it is knowledge, it is discipline, it is philosophy- it is heritage. Through his lines, he expresses a lifetime of dedication, through his materials, he channels the spirit of the East; through his colours he articulates inexplicable emotion, through his composition he encom-passes the philosophy of serenity and peace. With a lifetime of scholarly readings and the penetrative study of virtually every art form that was available to him, the artist has mould-ed his journey into an exposition of art itself- channelling every medium within his medium. Taking elements from every learning, the artist eventually took to his roots- the line; and yet, it no longer remained just so. The line had now transformed, meandering on rice paper among fields of blocked colour, emerging from within layers, forming words that hold meaning be-yond that of semantic logic.

Through his years of practice, this transforma-tion has driven forward unceasingly, with min-imalistic tranquillity moving into explosions of colour, from bold strokes to smouldering lay-ers of inked nerves, from shadowed ambiguity to enlightening illumination. The ebb and flow of his works, tinged with the undying spirit of transformation, forms ample reflection of the man behind it; running parallel to a life spent striving for calm transcendence, and intersect-

ing to form art that surpasses superficial meas-ure. It goes without saying that twenty years’ worth of Hong Zhu An’s oeuvre makes not only for monumental art, but for the portrait of a monumental artist.

It is this journey, this flow of conceptual and aesthetic, and this parallel reflection that I in-vite you to today. Imbued with the very philos-ophy that defines the artist himself, ‘Line’, or 笔，墨，纵，横 (closely translated to Brush, Ink, Vertical, Horizontal) is a tale within itself, that descends from individual but spans to a multi-tude- resonating to emotion held within every and each. Through his decades of introspec-tion, dedication and unfaltering perseverance, this retrospective holds the essence of not only the artist, but of humanity itself; cradling its frailty, celebrating its spirit, and exalting its undying strive for the sublime.

I invite you to experience for yourself the tran-quil reflection that is the art of Hong Zhu An; extracting an introspection that promises to remain with you long and far after you have walked the metaphysical line.

Forewordby Jazz Chong, Director Ode to Art

H O N G Z H U A N 3

“To me, art is nothing without study. One can practice and practice, but his creation will still want for something, if the scholarly is not pres-ent. My pursuit of skill has been based firmly on this. I have studied Calligraphy for decades, along with the study of Eastern and Western canvas, sculpture, ceramics and textile; and there are elements of every study that I have incorporated into my art.

Calligraphy is something I could say is almost impossible for anyone to understand complete-ly- even after my studies, I cannot grasp the full extent of its complexity. However, it forms the base for the flow of my chi, or energy, which differs with the energy every calligrapher holds and feels. While the colours and composition of my art may concur with Western elements, I believe it ultimately resonates the emotion of the East, which is an integral part of me I can never isolate. The feel of my art will always be distinctly Eastern.

The philosophy that has carried me through the years is one of acceptance, calm and em-bracing change. Change is everything; and ac-cepting it an equal and opposite necessity. It is a deep notion that is nestled within the very heart of every one of my works.

Study, Discipline, Emotion and Philosophy. These are the elements of my art.”

Artist StatementHong Zhu An

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Ink is more than a medium. It should be regard-ed as an art form or even a culture. The usual art category of period, movement, school, me-dium or aesthetic circle does not work here. Not least because the ink culture gestated over a very long period of time – more than one millennium – and yet its engagement with global art discourse in recent decades has been, in contrast, dramatically abridged.

We are in need of new vocabulary in dealing with the contemporary ink culture. Hence, to approach the topic of ink these days, we should not just discuss within the framework of any conventional classification pertaining to art medium, a set of aesthetic characteristics or even an art historical period.

The discussion is made further complicated by identity politics. One could passionately asso-ciate ink as a marker or signifier of national-ism or even a certain zealous cultural centrism. And it could be for the same reasons that the medium is biased against in any critical assess-ment, even before the discussion could go in-depth into art history, aesthetics and possibili-ties in ink painting.

Such responses, on both sides of the spectrum, do not adequately take into consideration the diversity, vitality and important explorations by individual ink artists, or the significance of ink tradition and potentials in longue durée histo-ry, nor ink’s concrete engagements with mod-ern and contemporary art historiography.

There are also the issues of the sites of prac-tice and of reception, which materialise in a great variety of geographical locations with varying transnational and local contexts. The interplay of “Chinese art” and locales outside this geopolitical circle, such as Singapore and Sydney, invokes different positioning of ink as a cultural signifier.

During the last three decades we have wit-

nessed terminologies like Modern Ink Painting, Experimental Ink Painting, Abstract Ink Paint-ing, New Literati Art, Conceptual Ink, etc. Like in most art terms, the large amount of literature associated with the terms, supporting, ques-tioning, taking positions for or against, eventu-ally form a dynamic critical discourse which in turn render the terms themselves rather inade-quate, if not sometimes misleading.

Some of us prefer to appreciate and analyse the concrete works, individual artists, or small-er groups of works. This may be proven more fulfilling. However, ink continues to be a cul-tural phenomenon necessitating clarification, as it represents a meeting of paradigms, cul-tural practices and philosophy. Ink offers fresh angles to aesthetic inquiry and art history in transcultural spaces, sometimes more produc-tively so in international locales.

Neither is ink pertaining to just painting or two-dimensional work. An ink work could be three-dimensional, durational, performative, ephemeral and of course, textual, given ink painting’s close if not interchangeable affilia-tion with calligraphy.

The exhibition, Line, featuring recent works by the Singapore-based ink artist Hong Zhu An is an excellent occasion to attempt a concep-tual in-road into the ink phenomenon. A ge-ographical distance can be very revealing on approaches one takes towards heritage and tradition, bypassing immediacies of geopoli-tics.

Originally from Shanghai, Hong moved to Syd-ney, Australia in that momentous year of 1989. Subsequently, in 1993, he moved to Singa-pore. His association with formal art education includes Shanghai Art and Craft Institute, Si-chuan Art Academy, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, LaSalle College of the Arts, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Most of these are not institutions of traditional

LineWritten by Kwok Kian Chow

H O N G Z H U A N 5

ink pedagogy.

A theory of media is in fact a theory of art, said Boris Groys, the media theorist and philoso-pher. Groys explained that, from Cubism on-wards, the history of avant-garde art has been about the destruction of the surface of art, so as to “show what is behind.” Fragmentation, therefore, is a key word to understanding art theory.i

Presumably then that this process of assign-ing what was hidden to the forth, is exactly the process of the media, that is, to transform and to transmit, and to document the interchanging layering of materiality and signs; in other word, a process of deconstruction.

What Hong Zhu An has done, in fact, is the reverse. He has intentionally made the oth-erwise translucent rice paper opaque; making the paper the first layer or treatment of his art-work so that his work will be densely construct-ed upon through multiple layers of pigments of varying permeation.

To a painting tradition that has always been about the interrelation of ink, brush and rice paper and setting them in a non-hierarchical relation, Hong’s fragmentation is not taken at the physical or material level. It is a fragmen-tation of the convention of the interlacing ele-ments.

Groys’ theory of media, on the other hand, re-mains valid. One way of characterising con-temporary ink art (to facilitate a discussion on the ink phenomenon, here I choose a generic term to encompass the various terminologies mentioned above) is to think of the critique of traditional media in ink, so as to isolate and re-align or reorganise elements of ink media in creating new expressions.

Because ink art has such a long history, along with a vigorous body of theory and system of

aesthetic value, the ink phenomenon we see today is unique in the world of visual arts for its variety of forms and expressions, and yet centripetally centred in the core medium of ink or an “ink culture”.

From the perspective of art material or medium as tools or channels of expression, the focus on ink seems narrow if not constricted. From the perspective of ink as encompassing line-ages of ink values, discourse and culture, an embodiment of identity politics in the challeng-es of the postmodern world, it is a fertile plat-form for articulations and innovations.

It is for the lack of critical vocabulary in the course of ink art’s engagement with global art discourses in the past three decades, attempts to characterise variants of ink expressions ended up with coupling of contemporary ink with terms such as cubism, expressionism, ab-straction, folk, ecology, urban, etc.

Needless to say, “abstraction” is the largest category. It is also stating with such back-ground and caution that we can speak of Hong Zhu An’s art as “abstract” although this term may not be explaining much. In a sense, the entire ink tradition is “abstract”.

Something else is at play here – the text. One of the key debates in the contemporary Chi-nese ink discourse is whether a division may be foregrounded between the calligraphic ex-pression, or an art work that is “written”, and the painterly expression, or an art work that is “painted”.

This problematic is further couched in the de-liberation if the supremacy of brush-and-ink should remain to be so, and if yes, how further to develop which. Supporting the paradigm but not without problematizing its contempo-rary ramifications in a global multicultural con-text are scholars like Lang Shaojun 郎紹君，Liu Xiaochun刘骁纯 and Pi Daojian皮道坚. The po-

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sition is generally known as the theory of the centrality of brush-and-ink.

Incidentally Hong Zhu An has Brush, Ink, Verti-cality, Horizontality 笔，墨，纵，横 as the Chinese title of his exhibition. The English title is simply Line. This contrast is itself an attempt to ne-gotiate the translation so as to avoid mis-read-ing. Wassily Kandinsky famously said that “the original source of every line remains the same – the force.”ii If he also mentioned qi (ch’i) “en-ergy force”, the term “line” would have allowed a reading closer to Brush, Ink, Verticality, Hori-zontality.

The related question of text and calligraphy is critical. The calligraphy discourse is an equally energetic one. What may be argued along the lines of ink art forms from painting to perfor-mance art, or idioms from cubism to expres-sionism, will find parallel in the calligraphy dis-cussion.

Herein lies, in fact, the centrality of text. This is key in looking at Hong Zhu An’s art. The text, or the written characters, no longer exist based on their semantics or dissertation; not even literary relevance or bibliographical ref-erence. They are randomly written characters.

The text merges with the pictorial (itself a re-sponse to the brush-and-ink debate), with the written words looking like images and images appearing as text. The words have “no mean-ing” in the usual expectation of written text.

Observe in particular the Testament series works (I, III and IV). In these works the com-manding singular brushstrokes rendered deci-sively vertically or horizontally across the can-vas are more calligraphic than the written text within the same composition. The latter serves more as graphic or pictorial elements. Such is the switch, like a powerful twist of the wrist just before a punch is delivered, in capturing the dynamism of contemporary ink aesthetics.

Hong Zhu An’s works are very well sought after in Singapore. A coveted reception, at a site outside China where many among the au-dience do not in fact read Chinese, speaks vol-ume about the power of calligraphy and how the interplay of the calligraphic and the pictori-al further heighten the vitality of ink aesthetics.

Finally, let me return to the question of identity. As observed by Quah Sy Ren and Chen Le, the word “identity” has two common translations in Chinese. One is shenfen 身份 and the oth-er, rentong 认同. These two versions are not exactly interchangeable. Shenfen is more of a noun, whereas rentong a verb. The noun indi-cates a set of attributes that make up identity. The verb is an action, a process, of reflexivity on these attributes. iii

The politics that ink painting portrays or facil-itates is the endless loop between shenfen and rentong. In looking at Hong Zhu An’s ink works, one could reinforce shenfen but only to also realize its instability at the level of the movements (Kandinsky’s force) and texture. One could, on the other hand, perform an act of rentong, only to marvel at the richness of tra-dition and the attending celebration of identity.

The line is a thin one.

i Siegfried Zielinski & Boris Groys, Thinking Media and the Man-Ma-chine Relations (European Graduate School Video Lecture), 2014, youtube.com, accessed 29 October 2014.

ii Wassily Kandinsky, Point and Line to Plane: Contribution to the Analy-sis of the Pictorial Elements, 1947 (Archive.org/details/pointlinetoplane, accessed 29 October 2014).

iii 柯思仁 (Quah Sy Ren) & 陈乐，文学批评关键词 (南洋人文丛书)， Nanyang Technological University & Global Publishing, Singapore, 2005, pp 199 – 200.

H O N G Z H U A N 7

HZA: I was born in the year 1955 in Shanghai, China.

I was born into a family of Calligraphers and have

been creating art since I was 4 years old. My formal

education was at the Shanghai Art & Craft Institute,

China, (1973 – 1976) where I also had the chance to

study under the famous art scholar Wang Zidou. I

had the benefit of being trained in both Eastern and

Western Art styles and after graduating, I went on

to lecture at the same college as an assistant pro-

fessor for 6 years. (1976 – 1989). I later received my

Master of Arts from the Royal Melbourne Institute of

Technology, Australia at LaSalle-SIA College of Arts,

Singapore (1997).

I am now a full time artist and enjoy painting abstract

art with, of course, calligraphic influence.

HZA: Yes, it has always been my passion and I al-

ways wanted to be an artist- although the road has

not been easy. As I mentioned, my family is one of

artists and calligraphers who have influenced me

from a very young age; you could say that art runs

in my blood. I have been creating art since I was 4

years old and at age 16, I was learning and practicing

calligraphy. Through my years of studying, teaching

and practicing, my passion has driven me to explore

every kind of medium, from ceramic, to water colour,

to bronze sculpting- even fashion design and textile!

When I was not creating art, I was studying it.

I believe the study and analysis of an art form is as

integral a part of developing your passion as is the

actual practice.

HZA: I have always been certain that my ultimate

satisfaction would be in creating art full time. How-

ever, the journey towards this riddled with many

highs and lows. I left China in 1989 in the midst of

the political turmoil taking over the nation and set-

tled in Australia, where I spent my time as a portrait

artist. While this was a mentally challenging period

of time, it helped cultivate my self-belief as an artist

as I quickly gained popularity and had people lining

up and paying high prices to be painted by me.

The true turning point for me was when I left Austral-

ia after 4 years and chanced upon Singapore. I say

chanced upon because it was truly a matter of coin-

cidence that I stopped by Singapore and happened

to see the UOB painting competition in the papers.

I submitted my entry on a whim and was shocked

and ecstatic when I was announced as the grand

prize winner. This was when I decided to take the

step into pursuing art full time.

It has been a long and difficult journey and I would

say it is not a road easily taken. However, the sat-

isfaction of achieving your dream is immeasurable.

HZA: My work is completely influenced by my per-

sonal journey, and every piece is reflective of emo-

tion or memory. I prefer my art to have a meditative

expression rather than a direct message- where

people are able to delve into the emotional atmos-

phere it creates and decipher for themselves what

could lie behind it. My work’s greatest influence is

a mixture of academics and emotion. Academical-

ly, I believe skill should speak for itself; emotional-

ly, however, I would like the audience to speak for

themselves. One noticeable progression in my art I

could put my finger on is my move from darker col-

ours to lighter, more illuminated hues. This is per-

haps reflective of the progression of my personal

journey as well.

HZA: My greatest influences have always been my

family- my grandfather and brother were also ardent

and disciplined calligraphers. Apart from that, I have

JC: Thank you for being here today; it has been a pleasure to work with you all these years. For the benefit of our readers, would you mind giving us a small introduction to yourself?

JC: To every great artist, there is a backstory of passion and persistence. How did you find your journey to success?

JC: How would you say your journey has influenced your work as an artist?

JC: Apart from your experiences, has there been any one person or people to have inspired your Art as well?

JC: Your works often radiate strong emotion and a disciplined dedication of skill; would you say that art has always been your passion?

Beyond the LineOde to Art Director Jazz Chong delves into the depths of the inscrutable Hong Zhu An in an

intimate conversation about Life, Art, and of course, the Line.

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trained under the prestigious art scholar Wang Zi-

dou and also studied under Professor Huang Wei Yi

in the Sichuan Art Academy, China. My years as an

apprentice were very difficult but I am grateful for

them as they pushed me to achieve more and more,

while balancing the practice and study of art.

HZA: My art is abstract; it carries no particular form

and is not figuratively representative. However, my

language of expression is calligraphy and colour.

Calligraphy is something I hold very close to my

heart, and I would say that every work of mine be-

gins with the line; it is always about the line. The use

of lines and colour is what breathes life into my art,

creating an atmospheric expression that communi-

cates though feeling rather than definitive imagery.

I believe certain works have been able to evoke

sadness or happiness- simply through the melding

of colour and stroke stemming from my own mind

frame.

My style also incorporates a lot of philosophy, and is

layered in depth that often develops over time. Each

time you look at a work, it will say something differ-

ent or something more to you. It encourages peo-

ple to linger and lose themselves in the artistic lan-

guage, finding their own meanings and reflections.

HZA: I have explored a lot of art in my time; from

western techniques to Eastern, from painting to

sculpting to woodwork or even textile. But every

artist yearns to find their calling- the medium that

makes their art sing. To me, this medium was Ink

and Rice Paper. Bringing together my heritage of

Chinese Calligraphy and my penchant for express-

ing through colour, this medium has offered me the

platform I so desired to communicate through the

abstract. I have experimented with strokes and lay-

ering, using thinner papers and thicker- and each

has given me new insight on manners of express-

ing, and a scope for innovation which drives me till

today.

I focus on the abstract because it has the ability to

contain unprecedented depth. It lets me express

and yet, allows every viewer to take their own

meaning and immerse themselves in the process.

I have developed this technique as my own, and it

brings me great satisfaction to be able to express

myself through it.

HZA: Yes, most definitely. There was a dream that

I had one night, where I dreamt of a beautiful gold-

en tree that, astoundingly, did not have leaves, but

fish dangling from its branches. I woke up in wonder

and rushed to tell my mother, who told me that it

was an auspicious dream. I began painting it almost

immediately and it has never left my memory. It now

hangs in my home. I also remember my UOB Paint-

ing Competition winner Artwork Yi Er San (1 2 3), as

it will always remind me of the significant moment

in my life where my fortunes began to turn for the

better.

HZA: To say it is challenging to be an artist is an

understatement; it is a very difficult path that takes

a lot out of you. It is a profession that requires re-

lentless discipline, practice and study and all the

while, maintaining the mental strength to carry your

passion to the elusive place of enough recognition

to make a living. I only sold my first real piece of

art after the age of 40. Externally, there is constant

competition and a pressure to maintain your unique

perspective of art. Internally, there is a constant

struggle towards innovation and betterment within

the artist.

It goes without saying, however, that the benefits

JC: Your art truly makes for a magnificent oeuvre. However, has there ever been an artwork you created that has stood out above the rest?

JC: Having reached a precipice of artistic recognition, what reflections would you have to offer on the struggles of be-ing an artist?

JC: Your art often carries so much depth and complexity, that it renders many at a loss of words to find an apt description. How would you describe your style in your own words?

JC: Your methodology, colours and form come together as a very unique style of Ink or Abstract Painting. What made you decide upon this particular art tangent?

H O N G Z H U A N 9

are overwhelming. The creative satisfaction of living

your passion is a satisfaction seldom achieved. It is

a feeling of peace and growth that pushes you to

keep creating, to keep exploring. Being collected in

museums and art institutions is a great moment for

any artist, and it is at moments like these that an

artist is absolved- his journey feels worth every step.

But considering all the highs and lows, I would per-

haps not recommend it for my children (laughs). I

would rather they expressed their art through archi-

tecture or design.

HZA: I believe that Singapore as a country contains

a lot of space for art appreciation. My very first ex-

pedition in Singapore allowed me such an artistic

welcome that I have been unable to leave it since. I

believe the city suits my temperament in more ways

than one. I prefer silence and solitude and Singa-

pore, to me, is a very calm place with very peaceful

people. It is a wonderful place to build a home in

and I have been very happy here.

Professionally, the city opened not only my eyes,

but a world of opportunity to me that I will always

be grateful for. That my particular brand of abstract

art is so welcomed and understood by the people

here not only given me the platform to manifest my

dream, but has encouraged me to continue innovat-

ing and developing as an artist.

HZA: (Laughs) Thank you. Yes, as an artist, it is very

hard for me to remain stagnant and I find myself

exploring more and more every day, with my mind

open to challenge, inspiration and innovation. I have

recently been experimenting with textile and differ-

ent kinds of rice papers, enjoying the discovery of

the effects of a familiar medium on new canvases.

However, my life philosophy is one of acceptance

and calm. Considering this, I will follow every step

that is to come in my artistic journey without much

planning or expectation; I will take whatever inspira-

tion may come to me, and express it to the best of

my skill and emotion.

HZA: This year, I may take up an Artist Residency at

a prominent art organization in Bali and thus, may

not be present in Singapore myself. However, post

my display at the Singapore Art Fair 2014, my next

solo show is expected to take place in 2015 at Ode

to Art. Needless to say, I look forward to every ex-

hibition, and remain humble to every individual that

may understand or share in the expression of my

artwork. I am grateful every day.

JC: How have you enjoyed your time in Singapore so far, and how would you say the city has influenced you?

JC: My experience has told me that you are an artist that re-fuses to stop learning and growing. Are there any new ar-tistic excursions could we expect in the near future?

JC: On that note, where or when could our readers expect to be viewing your artwork?

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Testament (I), 2014120 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

H O N G Z H U A N 13

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Wind And Rain, 2014155 x 120cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Testament (III), 2014105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Testament (IV), 2014105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Regeneration (I), 2014125 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Regeneration (II), 2014125 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Past And Present (I), 2013100 x 160cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Past And Present (II), 2013116 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Past And Present (III), 2013155 x 116cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Memory of a Dream, 2013125 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Leisure, 2013105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Crimson Bamboo, 2013105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Morning Dew, 2013105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Ink Bamboo, 2013105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Ancient Thoughts, 2013105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Fields of Blossoms, 2013105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Mesmerize, 2011105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Melody, 2011105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Homecoming, 2011110 x 126cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Encounter (II), 201161 x 85cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Scenic, 2010105 x 125cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Musings, 2009105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Wind, 2008185 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Scarcity of Stars, 2008105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Introspection, 2008105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Confidant, 2008105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Under the Moon, 2007105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Quiet Emptiness, 2006105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Synergy 1, 2005105 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Synergy 2, 2005105 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Ancient Melody, 2005125 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Timeless, 2004185 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Spring Dew, 2004115 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Poetry in motion, 2004185 x 125cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Odyssey, 2004185 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Noble Spirit, 2004105 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


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Sea, 2004105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Memory, 2004105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Dance, 2004105 x 185cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )66

Autumn Field, 2004185 x 10cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


A Gentle Breeze, 2004185 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

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Autumn Fall, 2004185 x 115cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Colours of Autumn, 2004185 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )70

Foot Prints, 2004185 x 115cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )72

Water, 2003105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Emerald Shadow, 2003105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )74

Encounter 1, 2003185 x 43cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )76


Cloud & Moon, 2001185 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )78

Obscure, 1999105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper


Reminiscence, 1999105 x 105cm, Ink & colour on rice paper

Chinese born Hong Zhu An (b. 1955) is one of the finest artists in Singapore today. Trained under the famous art scholar Wang Zidou at the Shanghai Art and Craft Institute, the artist is proficient in both Chinese and Western Art. Painting in acrylic and ink, his works exude a serenity and energy that calms the mind and offers insightful abstract interpretation alongside enchanting visuals. Constantly rising in both skill and prestige, he has exhibited his works in South East Asia, the USA and Australia and has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the UOB Painting of the Year ‘Grand Award’. His works have been collected by major institutions such as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Singapore Art Museum.

1994 UOB Painting of the Year Grand Award, Singapore

1988 The Best 100, The National Ink Painting Competition, China

2015 Line: 1994-2014 , Ode To Art, Singapore

2014 Line: 1994- 2014, Singapore Art Fair, Ode To Art

2013 The Limitless Void - Private Museum Singapore

2012 Ascetic Serenity, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore

2011 Inner Dawning, Ode To Art, Singapore

2009 Intrepid Heart, Naked Soul, Valentine Willie Fine Art, Singapore

2008 Reflections on a Long Journey, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong

2006 A Deep Breath of Life, Art 2 Gallery, Singapore

2005

2004

2003

BiographyHong Zhu An

Awards

Solo Exhibitions

New Exuberance, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong KongTen Years of Painting (1996 – 2006)Paintings for Sale by Silent Auction, YADDO Art, Windsor Ballroom, The Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore2008

New Directions, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong KongBali Escapade – Recent Paintings by Hong Zhu An, iPreciation Pte Ltd, Singapore

Going Forward , Plum Blossoms Gallery, New York, USA

A Long Journey, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong KongFluid Transitions, The Esplanade, Singapore

L I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )82

2002

2001 The Color of Memory, Plum Blossoms Gallery, New York, USA

2000

1997

1996 The Essence of Art, Art Forum, Singapore

1995

1987 Hong Zhu An – Exhibition, National Art Museum Shanghai, China

Corporate and Public Collections

Ancient Hues, Plum Blossoms Gallery, New York, USAAncient Hues, Featherstone Center for the Arts, Massachusetts, USA

RMIT Master of Arts Graduate Exhibition, LaSalle Gallery, LaSalle-SIA College of The Arts, Singapore

Field of Virtue, Plum Blossoms Gallery, SingaporeField of Virtue, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong

UOB The Painting of the Year Winners’ Exhibition, UOB Plaza, SingaporeEast – West: Abstraction Meets Calligraphy, The Substation, Singapore

The Singapore Art MuseumThe National Art Museum, PhilippinesThe Newark Museum, New York, USAThe Spencer Museum, New York, USAThe Princeton University Museum, New York, USAThe Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USAThe Oxford University Museum, UKThe National Gallery, Tel Aviv, IsraelThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SingaporeSingapore AirlinesThe National Library, SingaporeThe Peninsula Hotel, Bangkok, ThailandThe Grand Plaza Hotel, SingaporeRaffles, The Plaza, SingaporeFullerton Hotel, SingaporeLangham Southgate Melbourne Hotel, AustraliaLaSalle SIA College of the Arts, SingaporeNational Institute of Education, SingaporeUnited Overseas Bank, SingaporeCredit Suisse First Boston, SingaporeDeutsche Bank and Deutsche Asset Management, SingaporeGoldman Sachs, SingaporeMcKinsey & Company, SingaporeWheelock Properties (Singapore) Ltd, SingaporeFidelity Investments, SingaporeSC Global Development Ltd, SingaporeCoutts Bank, SingaporeKheng Leong Co (Pte) Ltd, Singapore


H O N G Z H U A NL I N E 笔。墨。纵。横 ( 1 9 9 4 - 2 0 1 4 )

First published 2014

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Measurements of artworks are given in centimeters

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Documents

LINE 笔。墨。纵。横 (1994-2014), Hong Zhu An