AUTUMN ASIA WEEK NEW YORK EXHIBITIONS
The Art of Chao Chung-Hsiang
September 12 – October 17, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, Sept 12, 2-5pm
We are thrilled to celebrate 45 years of championing contemporary Chinese art in 2026. Chao Chung-hsiang, alongside notable artists like Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-chun, Walasse Ting and Lui Shou-kwan, has been a vital part of the gallery’s history since our early days. Chao studied under the renowned Lin Fengmian at the National College of Art in Hangzhou, graduating in 1939 before immigrating to Taiwan in 1948. His studies in Spain and experiences in Europe led him to New York in 1958, where he encountered the dynamic world of American Abstract Expressionism and other post-war art movements. His works explore themes of nature, spirituality, and abstraction, featuring flowers, fish, birds, and cosmic imagery.
Our presentation for Autumn Asia Week New York focuses on Chao’s black-and-white abstract ink paintings alongside his renowned “hybrid paintings” of birds and fish. The interplay of circles, squares, and geometric forms executed in bright acrylics atop traditional ink washes demonstrates Chao’s unique artistic approach, which incorporated abstract symbolism into ink wash painting.
Chao’s integration of yin-yang symbols and references to Chinese philosophy enriches his work, embodying a hybrid quality and a conscious expansion to the traditional Chinese artistic language. In the 1970s and 80s, Chao found institutional recognition through several important solo exhibitions in New York, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Arnot Art Museum, and the Parrish Art Museum. In 1972, Chao won the New York Creative Arts Public Service Program Award. From 1997-99 his works were exhibited in the travelling exhibition Asian Traditions/Modern Expressions, organized by the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University. His work was also included in the seminal exhibition China: 5,000 Years at the Guggenheim Museum in 1998.
His works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; National Art Museum of China, Beijing; Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai; Taipei FineArts Museum, Taiwan; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong; and M+, Hong Kong.
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Fong Chung-Ray and Hung Hsien: A New Horizon
September 16 – November 11, 2026
Opening Reception: Wednesday, Sept 16, 6-8pm
We are pleased to present A New Horizon, featuring artists Fong Chung-Ray and Hung Hsien. Both artists immigrated to Taiwan as teenagers and later settled in the US, where they reside today; Fong in California, and Hung in Texas. Fong and Hung were part of the Fifth Moon Group, a prominent Taiwan art collective that promulgated a move towards modernism while retaining a clear Chinese identity. The focus of this exhibition, however, is the evolution of each artist’s work during their subsequent time spent in the US. Both were influenced by their new surroundings, and as their styles matured, they introduced elements of their cultural tradition in different ways, each creating their own unique contemporary artistic language.
Feel free to stop by the gallery on Saturday, September 12 during the opening of The Art of Chao Chung-Hsiang for a sneak peak!
To learn more, click here.
About the Gallery
Alisan Fine Arts, a stalwart of the Hong Kong art scene since its establishment in 1981, is excited to have opened our new gallery location in New York City’s Upper East Side on November 30th, 2023. Known for its dedication to Chinese diaspora artists and contemporary Chinese ink art, we continue our legacy of bridging East and West with this exciting expansion and bringing a piece of Hong Kong’s art history to a new audience while continuing to honor the artists that have shaped our legacy.
As we open our first location in the US, the gallery is committed to working with Chinese American and other Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artists, continuing our mission of promoting cross-cultural dialogue and fostering a global appreciation for diverse artistic expressions. The gallery’s New York venture provides a unique platform for showcasing the richness of Chinese diaspora artistry, with a special focus on artists who have made significant contributions to both their heritage culture and the American art scene.
The New York City location aims to bring these conversations to a broader audience and create a space where Asian art can further dialogue with international trends and movements. The gallery will be headed up by Daniel Chen, previously the director of Chambers Fine Art. “I am thrilled to be a part of this new chapter for Alisan Fine Arts,” says Chen. “This is a gallery that has been at the forefront of Asian art for over 40 years, and it’s exciting to be able to broaden its legacy here in the center of the contemporary art world.”
Co-founded in the 1980s by Alice King, Alisan Fine Arts is one of the first professionally run galleries in Hong Kong and has been a pioneer in the field of Chinese contemporary art and new ink art, in particular, focusing on promoting mainland Chinese artists as well as established Hong Kong and Chinese diaspora artists.
We currently manage three premises, one in the upper east side of New York City, one in Hong Kong’s central business district and one in Aberdeen, Hong Kong’s southside.