How modern Chinese ink painting artists are pushing boundaries, attracting new collectors
A decade ago, Lisa Chiba, an American living in Hong Kong, received a gift from her husband that would change her perspective on art forever: a Chinese ink painting by
Lui Shou-kwan
'I was just mesmerised by this piece,' she recalls. 'At that point, I was trying to learn – visiting galleries, shows, museums – just figuring out what I liked. But when we brought that painting into our home, I was taken aback by how much more alive it felt inside the space.'
That moment sparked a journey into the rich and evolving world of contemporary Chinese ink art, a world where tradition meets innovation in striking ways.
Chiba and two other major Hong Kong art collectors shared their love for the genre recently at a talk organised by Alisan Fine Arts. The talk accompanied the Hong Kong gallery's exhibition titled 'Tradition Transformed', which showcases how three generations of artists are pushing the boundaries of traditional ink painting.
Digital and Landscape-Tree (2024), by Lin Guocheng, is one of the works at 'Tradition Transformed' at Alisan Fine Arts. Photo: Alisan Fine Arts
One of the collectors, Douglas Wu, an architect by training, admits he once dismissed ink art as something old-fashioned and distant.
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