Josephine Shuk-Fong Cheung, Untitled, 1981, acrylic on canvas, 167.5 x 127 cm (66 x 50 in)

Josephine Shuk-Fong Cheung: A Commemorative Exhibition
June 24 – July 3, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 26, 2025, 6-8pm
120 East 65th Street, NYC

Alisan Fine Arts is pleased to present Josephine Shuk-Fong Cheung: A Commemorative Exhibition, dedicated to the late Hong Kong-born artist whose compelling body of work has remained largely unseen by the public for nearly four decades. The exhibition opens June 24, with an evening reception on Thursday, June 26.

Despite her brief yet prolific career from 1981 to 1989, Cheung’s artistic practice demonstrates a constant evolution—marked by her fearless experimentation with form, color, and composition. Her paintings deftly navigate the liminal space between abstraction and figuration, ultimately achieving a deeply personal and embodied visual language.

Born in Hong Kong and trained in Canada, Cheung began making art at 19 and quickly rose to prominence, earning prestigious scholarships and exhibiting internationally throughout the 1980s. Her early abstract expressionist style gave way to deeply humanist figuration, influenced by her time in New York and exposure to street artists like Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat. A turning point came in 1983 when her work as a social worker with Indochinese refugees infused her paintings with psychological depth and emotional resonance.

Her late work, including The “I” Series and In Limbo, reveals a more introspective, contemplative vision—marked by bold lines, subdued tones, and intimate scale. Diagnosed with lung cancer in 1989, Cheung passed away at just 35. Her archive remained dormant until 2021, when renewed interest followed the death of her partner, artist Andrew Lui.

This exhibition marks the first major presentation of Cheung’s work in decades, offering a powerful rediscovery of an artist whose voice continues to resonate.

To learn more, click here.