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Chen Heng

陳恆

Works in Kunming (b. 1962, Kunming)

I have no interest in creating a ‘unique or original image’ at the cost of deliberately distorting natural life; this to me is meaningless and soulless. […] I follow the path of: “To study all the exotic mountains for inspiration”, depending only on memories to feed my soul, giving me freedom and deeper understanding, allowing me to follow in the Chinese tradition of emphasizing life and nature. Although I may occasionally use symbolic images or metaphors in my work, it is always meant to be obvious.

 

Chen Heng grew up in a large family in Kunming, Yunnan Province, which was steeped in traditional values of gentility and modesty. He studied calligraphy, and Tang dynasty poetry and learned to appreciate the plum blossoms in winter and the sound of summer rain. Educated during the Cultural Revolution period, Chen Heng found little interest in formal education, and most of his knowledge was acquired through the mentoring of senior members of his family. At the age of 15, he also had the good fortune to study drawing and painting in the studio of the renowned artist Yao Zhonghua. All of these experiences formed his childhood. A traditional lifestyle for him is not found in a collection of antiques but is a natural daily life experience.

 

Chen Heng emphasizes “realization” and “transcendence” in his art. In four decades of artistic journey, he has continuously sought to sublimate his representational skills and to refine images to seek the cultural meaning of imagery. He deconstructs the ingredients of oil painting to seek aesthetics that suit a Chinese context. This includes his interpretation of the ‘negative’ space of ink painting (the ‘blank’ liubai) as an extra-visual context and highlighting visual scenes as mental ‘events’ and ‘things’.