ASIA WEEK NEW YORK AUTUMN 2024 EXHIBITION
Chinyee: Enraptured By Color
September 5 – October 26, 2024
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 5, 2024, 6-8pm
Curator Conversation: Saturday, September 7, 2024, 2-4pm (kindly RSVP to [email protected])
“Painting to me is a process of discovering, shaping and reshaping my inner being. I work spontaneously – starting with a line or a dot, similar to Chinese calligraphy… then I let the drama begin to develop among the colours and lines under my subconscious control. I seek in my work rhythm, harmony among conflicts, lines with energy, and even surprise. I chose to do abstract painting… the language utters energetic rhythm, subconscious cries, and subtle poems.” ~ Chinyee, 2018
We are proud to present our fifth solo exhibition by the late Chinese American artist Chinyee (b. 1929 Nanjing, China). This will be the first solo exhibition of her work since she passed away last June. Chinyee’s work, often been described as “Lyrical Abstraction,” is permeated with influences from both East and West. Her loose, unformulated brushstrokes reflect both Asian brush techniques and years of careful study of modern abstraction. The symphonic, colorful, and optimistic aura of her works is edged with dynamism.
Anchoring the exhibition will be a selection of works from the 1960s, two of which were recently part of the critically acclaimed exhibition Action / Gesture / Paint: a global story of women and abstraction 1940-70, exhibited at Whitechapel Gallery in the UK, Fondation Vincent Van Gogh in Arles, France, and Kunsthalle Bielefeld in Germany. Showing alongside paintings by Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler and Elaine deKooning, Chinyee’s A Touch of Red and Solitude No.2 were part of a long overdue survey of female abstract painters, most of whom were overlooked in the decades that were dominated by the New York school artists. Our exhibition also includes a selection of Chinyee’s works from the 1980s through 2018, both on canvas and on paper, many of them being exhibited for the first time.
Enraptured By Color coincides with the exhibition Asian American Abstraction: Historic to Contemporary at Hollis Taggart, which includes 3 paintings by Chinyee and is curated by Jeffery Wechsler, previously the Senior Curator of the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum.
Please join us for the opening reception on Thursday September 5th, 2024. We will also be hosting an event with Jeffrey Weshler and Chinyee’s son, Andy Sung, who will be in conversation at the gallery on Saturday, September 7th to discuss the artist’s life and career. RSVP is required through [email protected]
To learn more, click here.
RECENTLY CLOSED EXHIBITION
Themes and Variations
June 27 – August 23, 2024
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 27th from 6-8pm
Second Reception: Thursday, June 25th from 6-8pm (with special performance by ink artist Parin Heidari)
We are pleased to announce the opening of Themes and Variations, featuring the work of 15 artists who explore the use of Chinese Ink within their practice. The exhibition includes work by Hung Fai, Hung Keung, Lee Chunyi, Lin Guocheng, Lok Yitong, Ren Light Pan, Tai Xiangzhou, Wesley Tongson, Wang Mengsha, Wang Tiande, Wai Pongyu, Wei Ligang, Zhang Xiaoli, Zhang Yirong, and Zheng Chongbin.
Signs and Symbols
Bird-and-flower painting is a longstanding traditional subject in Chinese art, often used as symbols of human virtues such as resilience and beauty, and even political authority. Artists Zhang Yirong and Lee Chun-yi continue this tradition, Zhang in her detailed, gongbi style of painting and Lee in a more nuanced manner with his method of stamping paper with hand-carved seals. Symbols and Iconography appear throughout China’s artistic tradition; Wei Ligang’s script recalls ancient pictograms while Lin Guocheng draws inspiration from the Three Star Mound, a majestic ancient burial site in Sichuan, China – Lin sets imagery from the site against a pixelated background, seeking a dialogue between contemporary digital world and his historical roots.
Spiritual Landscapes
Landscape, a traditional theme in Chinese ink painting, has historically focused less on realistic depiction and more on conveying spiritual resonance and reflecting the artist’s state of mind and personality. The artists in this group push this concept further, into areas of identity, as in Ren Light Pan’s ink-transfers of female clothing and Hung Fai’s Vessel, which explores the relationship between mother and son. Wesley Tongson’s Spiritual Mountain series takes its inspiration from many forms of devotion, from the teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Christianity to references to the natural world, and he takes the spectacular leap from the brush to using his fingers to apply his ink. Wang Tiande’s work also eschews the brush, using of incense sticks to create burn marks on layered rice paper, to create his traditional landscapes and calligraphy. Abstract ‘landscapes’ are also included in this section. Tai Xiangzhou’s Propitious Rock from Heaven is a rumination on the Cosmos; Wai Pong Yu’s A Rhythm of Landscape series focuses on the act of creation, using a pen to draw ink lines across paper until it frays and rips. Also investigating the ink and paper medium is Zheng Chongbin, whose architectural landscapes organically result from his meticulous process of folding, painting and fusing ink and acrylic on Xuan paper.
Poetry and Painting
Poetry, calligraphy and portraying life have long been important themes in the history of literati painting. The artists in this room take different contemporary approaches to this tradition – Lok Yitong takes a visual interpretation to traditional poetry, using repetitive abstract forms that recall the rhythm of the verses, and then weaving calligraphy into the compositions. Wang Mengsha is known for her ‘Xieyi’ style of paintings, where she recontextualizes imagery from traditional paintings of court maidens and ancient scenes of everyday life. In contrast is the stoic, defined work of Zhang Xiaoli, whose Box with Multiple Openings houses the elements of wind, fire and water. Also included is a video piece and accompanying print by Hung Keung. The piece depicts mist, flowers, charcoal, and rice paper transitioning from vibrancy to decay through ink variations. The dancing Chinese characters respond to these subtle changes, suggesting the relationship between the nature and the passage of time.
Themes and Variations will be shown in two rotations, with the first on view from June 27th – July 23rd and the second from July 24th – August 23rd.
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.