Wang Chuan, an outstanding contemporary Chinese ink artist, who has been experimenting with ink since the late 1980s, merges calligraphic forms with abstract shapes. He plays an important role in the contribution and the development of Chinese ink art after the Cultural Revolution. By combining classical Chinese styles with inspiration from the West, Wang shows how Chinese ink on rice paper can become wonderfully creative modern art.

Born 1953 in Chengdu, Sichuan, Wang Chuan began painting during the Cultural Revolution while building Railway tracks in 1960s. He studied traditional Chinese painting and graduated from Sichuan Art Academy in Chongqing in 1982. Like many of his contemporaries, he also worked with oil paintings until 1984 when he became attracted to ink as a medium of expression. He moved to Shenzhen in the late 1980s, and lived in Guangzhou in 1990s. In 1997, Wang went to New York but unfortunately was diagnosed with gastric cancer, and had to move back to Chengdu for an operation and chemotherapy a year later. In spite of adverse conditions, Wang continued to express his emotions through his paintings, experimenting with ink’s many possibilities; gradually the calligraphic characteristics dissolved leaving only the abstract shapes. Ever since then he continued to explore the relationship between abstract forms and space. He has had around 60 solo and group exhibitions around the world since 1980s, including USA, Germany, Italy, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong. Selected museum collections: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA; Ferrara Art Museum, Italy; Norway National Art Museum, Norway; Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou, China; Hong Kong Museum of Art. He currently lives in Beijing.

Please contact Kathleen Mak at 852 25261091 or email [email protected] for more information.