In the past six decades, Fong Chung-Ray (b. 1933, Henan, China) has trailblazed an experimental fusion of Chinese traditional ink art and abstract expressionism, a result of a unique amalgamation of cultural, stylistic, and period influences in his life. Time is a central concept in Fong's art. In the early 1990s, Fong began experimenting with paper collages and paper-cutting. Much of this work resulted in ragged, geometric shapes that are evocative of European Cubism, Chinese ink, and paper mounting. Inspired by the minute details of decay, Fong's recent work is an up-close examination of weathered surfaces such as walls. Fong's novel use of dried acrylic "collages" allows him to duplicate the fine web of cracks found in old, worn walls in pieces. His work frequently creates visions of flaking paint, scratches, and torn paper, all layered over writing. Time moves forward and backward on his wall paintings. This visual layering of elements allows the viewer to go back in time and catch glimpses of the "older" stratum of the wall's surface. All of his work is highly expressive and full of movement — movement itself being an impossibility without the passage of time.
