SHADES OF BLOSSOMS

Exhibition Preface
Artelli is delighted to extend a warm invitation to the internationally renowned Chinese artist, Zhuang Hong-yi, for his first solo exhibition in Macau. This exhibition showcases Zhuang’s latest works from his Flowerbed series.

Zhuang graduated from the Sichuan College of Fine Arts in China before moving to the Netherlands for further studies in the 1990s. After the completion of his education, he started his artistic career and gained recognition in art galleries across Europe. Currently residing in the mountainous regions of southern Switzerland, he now splits his time between his studios in China and the Netherlands. Zhuang has held over 140 solo exhibitions and has taken part in more than 60 major art fairs in 18 countries worldwide.

Zhuang has developed exceptional works that carry the essence of Eastern and Western aesthetics and ideologies. It is a result of his upbringing, education, and life experiences in both China and Europe. Rooted deeply in his connection with nature since childhood, his creative sense of artistry is particularly centered around flowers. The uniqueness of Zhuang’s work has brought him to great prominence, earning admiration from art collectors worldwide.

“My art is about happiness, enrichment, and re-enchantment; I want people to feel joy by reconnecting them with the calmness of nature, which is why the flower is so dominant in my paintings. Everywhere around the world, flowers represent peace, happiness, and prosperity. We might not all speak the same language, but we can all read flowers…."

In his own words, Zhuang describes himself as a “globetrotting artist”, driven by a strong passion to explore the world. It was during the ‘90s that he roamed through the Netherlands and serendipitously discovered flower fields nestled within the natural Dutch landscapes, serving as a profound inspiration for his distinctive artistic style today. Zhuang observes the color palettes of nature, integrating the interplay of light and shadow. In this process, his abstract creations are infused with a rich tapestry of emotions and memories.

Focusing on the relationship between painting and its moving image, Zhuang’s highly sophisticated works are crafted from rice paper, imbued with sensory impressions as he transforms them into timeless flowerbeds. Using delicate pieces of traditional Chinese rice paper, he blends them with acrylic pigments, representing Western aesthetics. Through manual bending and folding, then adding colors that meld together, Zhuang creates sculptural multi-dimensional abstract pieces. These artworks are visually compelling both as painting and object, presenting different colors depending on the angle from which they are viewed. His innovative approach has earned a patent for his “Flowerbed Colorchange”. Each fleeting moment in nature undergoes irretrievable changes, as mirrored within the ever-changing details of his artworks.

These paintings and works from his solo exhibition, Shades of Blossoms, summon positivity in viewers as the flowers bloom in all colors and forms, creating a carefully orchestrated imagery.

HONG-YI ZHUANG

1962, Sichuan Province, China