Chinese Contemporary Ink by Nan Qi and Hong Zhu An

Official Exhibition Opening
Saturday, 15 September 2018
12pm–5pm

The Culture Story presents two artists, Nan Qi (b. 1960) and Hong Zhu An (b. 1955), who are masters of ink in their own rights. Constantly challenging the boundaries of a medium of immemorial traditions and histories, Nan and Hong belong to a generation that straddles between the traditional form of Chinese art education and the influence from the Western styles of painting. Brought together in one exhibition, the works show two different trajectories contemporary ink practitioners take as they blur the line between the East and the West.

Well known for his ‘Halo dots’, Beijing-based artist Nan Qi has developed his own style of ink painting that many have described as “Post-Pop”, after the likes of Western artists such as Andy Warhol. His works are created on traditional Chinese calligraphy paper (xuan paper) with a mixture of using ink painting, ink stains, ink washing and ink colourimetric techniques, yet the skilful reproduction of the dots appear to be a digital pixelation of the image. The constant evolution of his technique continues to redefine the Chinese ink painting as a medium.  The Culture Story is delighted to be exhibiting a selection of his early dot series as well as iconic portraits of world leaders.

Juxtaposing the vivid colours of Nan Qi’s, The Culture Story is also showcasing never-seen-before works by Singapore-based Chinese painter Hong Zhu An (b. 1955). Trained under the famous Chinese art scholar Wang Zidou in Shanghai and having lived in Sydney before settling in Singapore, Hong is a master of both Western and Chinese forms of art. His works are a blend of East and West techniques as he combines Chinese calligraphy and painting, including “negative painting”. Hong has a profound love for the line and he understands its importance as a fundamental of Chinese artistic expression. Behind each art piece is a myriad of layers, each consisting of thousands of calligraphic strokes and colours.

Talk – Collecting Chinese Ink: History, Culture, Wealth
Sunday, 23 September 2018
2.30pm

Should one collect ink, what are the current trends and who are the rising stars? Join us for a conversation with ink collectors H.S. Chong and K.P. Lee, and art historians Teo Han Wue and Lee Chor Lin. More details on Facebook.

H.S. Chong
Mr Chong’s regular visits to China in the early 2000’s sparked an interest in Chinese art, especially Chinese contemporary ink. In 2003, Chong founded The China Art Foundation to promote Chinese contemporary ink artists. In 2004, he supported and helped organize a major ink exhibition titled “Xin Xie Yi” 《新写意》held at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. The exhibition, which was curated by Mr Liu Xiaochun, Researcher at the Chinese Art Research Institute, showcased twenty-five artists and attracted over 50,000 visitors. The exhibition was considered to be a significant event in the Chinese art community.

K.P. Lee
Mr Lee has been a collector of Chinese paintings since 1984, and now manages 2 private funds which invest in Chinese paintings. He became interested in Chinese art while working in the financial sector in London in the early 1980’s, and specifically started looking at Chinese paintings in 1984 after he was transferred to Hong Kong for work.

Teo Han Wue
Mr Teo was a journalist for The Straits Times during the 1980s when he reviewed art exhibitions regularly and wrote about many artists both local and foreign. After journalism, Mr Teo joined the National Arts Council (1991-2002). He was appointed as Executive Director of Art Retreat (2004-2010), a private museum based in Singapore owned by an Indonesian collector. Teo is a well-established writer, contributed numerous essays to both local and international platforms. He has also served on various advisory committees of Singapore Art Museum, National Gallery Singapore, NUS Museum and NTU.

Lee Chor Lin
Ms Lee began her career in the museum world in 1985 at the National Museum of Singapore. As senior curator of the Asian Civilisations Museum (1993–2002), Lee was responsible for the both Southeast Asian and Chinese galleries, as well as the museum’s acquisition in both collections. She was Director of the National Museum (2003–2013) and later became the CEO of Arts House Limited (2013–2016). She currently works independently and selectively, researching and writing on pre-war Singapore Chinese artists, Indonesian Chinese diaspora in batik trade, and food writing as a cultural memoir in modern Chinese literature.

Exhibition Information
Dates: 15 September – 7 October 2018
Opening Hours: Viewing by appointment only