Carol Lee Mei Kuen (born 1963 in Hong Kong)
One of the most prominent contemporary artists in Hong Kong, Lee explores the topics of time, memory and human relationships. As a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and a founding member of the MIA (Mere Independent Artist), Lee is an artist that can evoke strong visual sensations in her viewers through her play with shape, juxtaposition, color, rhythm and intensity. Through a technique called time painting, Lee creates pieces that are elegant, thought provoking and truly reflective of the passing of time.
One of the most prominent contemporary artists in Hong Kong, Lee explores the topics of time, memory and human relationships. As a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and a founding member of the MIA (Mere Independent Artist), Lee is an artist that can evoke strong visual sensations in her viewers through her play with shape, juxtaposition, color, rhythm and intensity. Through a technique called time painting, Lee creates pieces that are elegant, thought provoking and truly reflective of the passing of time.
Huang Rui (born 1962 in Beijing, China)
Huang Rui is one of China’s most highly regarded artists and was one of the main protagonists of the first non-conformist art groups in 1979 China. A leader of the Stars Group (Xing Xing) art exhibition, he was pivotal in the art movement that initiated some of the first free art expressions in the Post-Mao era bringing together like-minded artists such as Wang Keping and Ma Desheng. As a seminal figure of the Dashanzi Factory 798 Art District, Huang Rui has sought to express art’s function as a reflection of society and its strength in addressing contemporary concerns.
Huang Shihua (Born 1990, Hunan, China. Lives and works in Beijing)
The artwork of young Chinese painter Huang Shihua attempts to break away from the rules. His inner feelings and nature collide to form a unique pattern. All matter has its fixed form except for water. Water varies itself according to the objects it encompasses without damaging their shape. It conquers everything and contains everything.
Pan Jian (Born 1975, Shandong, China. Lives and works in Beijing and Xi’an, China.)
Pan Jian is a thoughtful and committed painter. In his exploration of shadow, the artist distills the relationship between light and dark to its purest form, resulting in an arresting body of work that challenges the viewer’s eyes to adjust to the dim silhouettes and wander through the monochromatic nighttime scenes. Pan Jian’s artistic process first draws inspiration from actual landscapes, gradually transforming what he has seen into the imagined scenes that he presents on each canvas. The landscapes are therefore both real and imagined, a dichotomy that is reflected in the concept that although a shadow has no tangible content, the image presented is still able to move the viewer, provoking an emotional response. Pan Jian graduated from the Oil Painting Department of Xi’an Academy of Fine Art where he is now a teacher.
Wang Keping (Born 1949 in Beijing, China)
Wang Keping was one of the founders of the non-conformist artist group “The Stars” (Xing Xing), formed in 1979 during the post-Cultural Revolution “Beijing Spring”. This group of young avant-garde artists challenged the status quo and were pivotal in initiating some of the first free art expressions in the Post-Mao era bringing together like-minded artists such as Huang Rui and Ma Desheng. As one of France and China’s foremost sculptors, Wang Keping’s sculptures are an exploration of the human form. With a natural intuition of space and balance, they convey a highly sensual representation of the female body, of man and woman, mother and child. Wang Keping reveals the natural contours of the wood: the grain; knots; and flaws to evoke figurative representations in his work. Inspired in his early years by masters of European Modernist sculpture, his search today stems from Taoist ideas of simplicity and nature, material and the nonmaterial, physical and spiritual, each piece defying definition.
