Unabating Spring by Hong Zhu An

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春 常 在 HONG ZHU AN

U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G BY

HONG ZHU AN

春 常 在 HONG ZHU AN

U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G BY

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The creative satisfaction of living your passion is a satisfaction seldom achieved. It is a feeling of peace and growth that pushes you to keep creating, to keep exploring.

HONG ZHU AN

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FOREWORD 前 言

Throughout the years in his career, Hong Zhu An never ceases to discover and to experiment new concepts and inspirations for his work. His belief is that art should be continuous in change and transformation, and that artists must have the spirit of challenging their limits to attain greater breakthroughs in their art.

To Hong Zhu An, Calligraphy represents discipline, knowledge and philosophy. It is a form of expression in which its meaning should be derived from its very form, instead of the linguistic meaning behind it. His diligent and disciplined practice of calligraphy is evident in his newer works, in the way his inked letters appears fluid and stronger than in his previous works. With every flowing motion and strength in each stroke, he breathes thoughts and emotions beyond semantic logic into his calligraphy, using ink as an art form rather than just a medium.

I have known Hong Zhu An for many years, and his works continue to enrapture and inspire me. Particularly, it is his blend of Eastern and Western art techniques that draw me to his works. His calligraphy works in harmony with Western art techniques, transcending boundaries to define a style of art that is his own. With each flowing and harsh movement, he breathes life into the brush strokes, relaying the spirit of the East onto paper; through vibrant and lively colours of the West, he expresses inarticulate emotion. The results of the coexistence of the East and West in his works are not contrasting as one would expect, but serene and harmonious, and entirely the art of Hong Zhu An.

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5 In his strive for constant transformation and inspiration, he continues to introduce new imageries, new calligraphic styles and colours into his works. Though the imageries that he uses are familiar in Eastern culture, he paints them into his works to simply add to its beauty and tranquillity. Together with his art techniques, his works expresses the many emotions, passions and ideas that he has experienced in his life and career. His new series of works is influenced not only by his own spirit of transformation, but also due to a new season that is introduced in his personal life, one which calms and rejuvenates his soul.

My friendship with Hong Zhu An has given me the great privilege to be a witness of his many transformations in his works and in his personal life. Many days that I have spent at his studio has drawn us much closer, and I have come to understand the depth of the man’s spiritual journey, his thoughts and his feelings. It is this incredible journey that I have witnessed that I invite you to experience it today. Saturated with the very spirit, beliefs and ideas that define the artist himself, ‘Unabating Spring’ is a visual tale of the transformation and rejuvenation of a new spiritual season, and a reflection of the tranquillity and peace in his heart as he moves to a new season in his spiritual journey.

Jazz Chong December 2016

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春 常 在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G Left: Refreshing, 105 x 105cm Right: 明镜 Clarity , 105 x 105cm

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Rumination, 105 x 105cm

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Left: 余闲 Respite, 105 x 105cm

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Right: 飘 Drift, 105 x 105cm

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春 常 在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G 净 Virtuous, 105 x 105cm

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春 常 在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G Left: 和风着绿 With Wind Comes Spring, 105 x 52cm Right: 恬淡 Ambience, 105 x 105cm

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春回大地 Return of Spring, 105 x 105cm

HONG ZHU AN

I focus on the abstract because it has the ability to contain unprecedented depth. It lets me express and yet, allows every viewer to take their own meaning and immerse themselves in the process.

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春 常 在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G 春常在 Unabating Spring , 105 x 105cm

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春 常 在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G 春暖 Warmth of Spring, 105 x 105cm

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Left: 春浓 Spring Embracing, 105 x 105cm

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Right: 风 Zephyr, 105 x 105cm

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I prefer my Art to have a meditative expression rather than a direct message—where people are able to delve into the emotional atmosphere it creates and decipher for themselves what could lie behind it.

春色无边 Boundless Colors of Spring, 105 x 105cm

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春风 Spring Wind, 105 x 105cm

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水 Stream, 105 x 105cm

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源 Genesis, 105 x 105cm

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Calligraphy is something I hold very close to my heart, and I would say that every work of mine begins with the line; it is always about the line. The use of lines and colour is what breathes life into my art, creating an atmospheric expression that communicates though feeling rather than definitive imagery.

春 常 在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G 田园 Meadow, 105 x 105cm

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Left: 绿 Verdant, 105 x 105cm

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Right: 绿雨 Absolve, 105 x 105cm

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I will follow every step that is to come in my artistic journey without much planning or expectation— I will take whatever inspiration may come to me, and express it to the best of my skill and emotion.

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静静 Quietude, 105 x 105cm

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BIOGRAPHY

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Chinese born Hong Zhu An (b. 1955) is one of the finest artists in Singapore today.

Trained under the famous art scholar Wang Zidou at the Shanghai Art and Craft Institute, the artist is proficient in both Chinese and Western Art. Painting in acrylic and ink, his works exude a serenity and energy that calms the mind and offers insightful abstract interpretation alongside enchanting visuals. Constantly rising in both skill and prestige, he has exhibited his works in South East Asia, the USA and Australia and has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the UOB Painting of the Year ‘Grand Award’. His works have been collected by major institutions such as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Singapore Art Museum.

1988 The Best 100, The National Ink Painting Competition, China

奖 项

AWA R D S

1994 UOB Painting of the Year Grand Award, Singapore

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Unabating Spring, Ode To Art, Singapore Solo Exhibition, Artstage

2015

Line: 1994-2014 , Ode To Art, Singapore

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Line: 1994- 2014, Singapore Art Fair, Ode To Art

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The Limitless Void - Private Museum Singapore

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Ascetic Serenity, Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore

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Inner Dawning, Ode To Art, Singapore

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Intrepid Heart, Naked Soul, Valentine Willie Fine Art, Singapore

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Reflections on a Long Journey, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong

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SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2017

个 展

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A Deep Breath of Life, Art 2 Gallery, Singapore New Exuberance, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong Ten Years of Painting (1996 – 2006) Paintings for Sale by Silent Auction, YADDO Art, Windsor Ballroom, The Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore2008

2005

New Directions, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong KongBali Escapade – Recent Paintings by Hong Zhu An, iPreciation Pte Ltd, Singapore

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Going Forward , Plum Blossoms Gallery, New York, USA

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A Long Journey, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong KongFluid Transitions, The Esplanade, Singapore

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Ancient Hues, Plum Blossoms Gallery, New York, USAAncient Hues, Featherstone Center for the Arts, Massachusetts, USA

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The Color of Memory, Plum Blossoms Gallery, New York, USA

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Field of Virtue, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Singapore Field of Virtue, Plum Blossoms Gallery, Hong Kong

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RMIT Master of Arts Graduate Exhibition, LaSalle Gallery, LaSalle-SIA College of The Arts, Singapore

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The Essence of Art, Art Forum, Singapore

1995 UOB The Painting of the Year Winners’ Exhibition, UOB Plaza,

SingaporeEast – West: Abstraction Meets Calligraphy, The Substation, Singapore 1987

Hong Zhu An – Exhibition, National Art Museum Shanghai, China

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C O R P O R AT E A N D P U B L I C COLLECTIONS

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公 司 和 公 共 收 藏

The Singapore Art Museum The National Art Museum, Philippines The Newark Museum, New York, USA The Spencer Museum, New York, USA The Princeton University Museum, New York, USA The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, USA The Oxford University Museum, UK The National Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Singapore AirlinesThe National Library, Singapore The Peninsula Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand The Grand Plaza Hotel, Singapore Raffles, The Plaza, Singapore Fullerton Hotel, Singapore Langham Southgate Melbourne Hotel, Australia LaSalle SIA College of the Arts, Singapore National Institute of Education, Singapore United Overseas Bank, Singapore Credit Suisse First Boston, Singapore Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Asset Management, Singapore Goldman Sachs, Singapore McKinsey & Company, Singapore Wheelock Properties (Singapore) Ltd, Singapore Fidelity Investments, Singapore SC Global Development Ltd, Singapore Coutts Bank, Singapore Kheng Leong Co (Pte) Ltd, Singapore

春常在 U N A B AT I N G S P R I N G HONG Z HU A N First published 2017 Ode To Art Raffles City 252 North Bridge Road, Raffles City Shopping Centre, #01-36E/F, Singapore 179103 Tel: +65 6250 1901 Fax: +65 6250 5354 info@odetoart.com odetoart.com © Ode To Art 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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