Chen Heng is a Chinese painter whose practice is significantly influenced by Yunnan, the province in southwest China where he grew up.
Read MoreChen Heng grew up in remote Yunnan, a mountainous province rich in natural resources. References to Yunnan's weather and light may be construed from the artist's paintings.
As a teenager, Chen Heng studied under the pioneering Yunnan painter Yao Zhonghua. He continued to study painting at university, and later explored the arts of various ethnic minority communities living in remote areas of Yunnan.
Chen Heng's works create a visually ambiguous atmosphere, exploring the boundaries between realisation and transcendence, interior and exterior. His palette typically includes dark, muted tones, enhancing a sense of spirituality and metaphysical expression.
The sepia-tinged oil on canvas painting Heaven, Earth, Humanity (1) (2022) depicts the nude bust of a woman holding a spherical red fruit; at her side is an ox. The muted colours, low contrast, and ambiguous, abstracted composition work together to present a dreamlike sense of nostalgia.
Chen Heng's approach to painting has been referred to as fundamentalist or Taoist. Throughout his career, his artworks have engaged cultural themes and imagery, as well as contemplating the spiritual interior. His paintings may be seen to represent an exploration of the relationship between artistic gesture, inner reflection, and the wider world.
Select group exhibitions include Hanart TZ Gallery at Art Basel Hong Kong (2022); New Zone – Chinese Art, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw (2003); and Sentiments of Yunnan: Paintings by Chen Heng and Ma Yun, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong (1999).
Ashlyn Chak | Ocula | 2022
