Zheng Chongbin

executed in 2011
signed ZHENG CHONGBIN in English and Chinese, and dated 9. 2011

United Kingdom, London, Saatchi Gallery, Ink: The Art of China, 19 June - 5 July, 2012, pp. 142-143

Overall in very good condition. Framed size: 194.3 x 208.3 cm; 76 1/2 x 82 in.
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With an acute sensibility for controlling the ink medium and a deep understanding of art history, Zheng Chongbin masterfully deconstructs and explores elements of abstraction in his paintings. As both a graduate of Chinese Painting from the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts and an MFA graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, Zheng creates works that can be considered to be a constant negotiation between Eastern and Western art practices. With a consistent focus on the medium of ink on paper, Zheng innovatively evokes the Daoist qi (energy) by applying acrylic with a Western brush and biomorphic abstractions in traditional ink. "My intention," says Zheng, "is to investigate the logic of the ink medium and its perceptual characteristics, the alternation between transcendence and the materiality of the work."

In Four Definitions (Lot 517), Zheng creates four panels that are meant to define the four definitions of space and explore the material of the ink medium. Layers of rich black ink are infused with white acrylic—evoking a challenge between light and dark, blankness and form. His strong, bold gestures are contrasted by the endless details as the two water-based materials mix across the painting surface. The layers of ink and acrylic create a richly textured depth that gives the work an almost sculptural element. In contrast to later works, this present lot is part of an early series of ongoing experimentation with the fusion of ink and acrylic materials, and the juxtaposition of painted panels. 

Zheng's investigations extend to video and installation and his works have been published and exhibited by prominent institutions worldwide, including the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Shanghai Art Museum, University of Alberta Museum, San Francisco Asian Art Museum, Pacific Asia Art Museum, Busan Museum of Modern Art, China National Art Institute, and the National Art Museum of China. His works are included in the public collections of The British Museum (UK), San Francisco Asian Art Museum (US), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (US), Daimler Art Collection (Germany), Marina Bay Sands (Singapore), and M+ Museum (Hong Kong).