Ink painting, however, has always been his first love, and in this exhibition we are pleased to present a collection of some of his old and new works in this medium. Unlike many contemporary Chinese artists, who slavishly paint whatever is currently ‘in vogue’, Chen truly paints what is in his heart and on his mind. Consequently in this collection we see very tender moments from his childhood; children playing hide and seek, flying a kite, walking to school. All these scenes are from the artist’s own life and are personal mementos and reminiscences. Painted in ‘gongbi’ or detailed realist style on silk or paper, we can appreciate the meticulous skill of his brushwork.

More recent works contain social commentaries on contemporary life, such as the man lying down, bellowing out a filthy smog from his mouth, clearly a critique of China’s polluted cities.

A few years ago with his own health problems causing him concern and then the passing away of his parents Chen started to contemplate the transient nature of life and turned to Buddhism, Zen meditation and Taoism for inspiration.  Several of his recent paintings also reflect this spiritualism and are contemplative in nature.

All of Chen’s works are thoughtful and thought provoking.  His goal has always been to reflect the true landscape of his heart, and in this way address some greater universal human ideals.

Chen was born in Chongqing in 1967 and is a graduate of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, graduating from the Chinese Painting Department with a BFA in 1989.  After leaving the Institute he spent several years working in design and architecture.  Chen has held several group exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang as well as solo exhibitions with prominent art galleries.  In 1997 his works were exhibited in six European countries.  He now lives and works in Beijing as a full time artist.