Colors Across the Ocean -- Chen Hong's art becomes a bridge to the soul

Hong Chen

Currently serves as the second Honorary Advisor of the International Association of Creative Arts, Vice President of the New Zealand-China Union of Culture and Arts, and Vice President of the International Creative Arts Alliance. She previously held positions as Deputy Secretary-General of the Asian Urban Art Development Alliance and Vice President of the New Zealand Chinese Artists Association. Initiator of the “To Make The World Better” Art Exhibition commemorating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand.

Chen Hong specialises in contemporary abstract painting. Her paintings have been frequently exhibited in international art events and are held in collections by institutions and individuals, including the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Christchurch and Everyone An Artist Foundation in New Zealand.

Selected Exhibitions and Achievements

Nov 2022 – Organized and curated the “To Make The World Better” International Art Exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of China–New Zealand diplomatic relations, held in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Jul 2023 – Invited as the only Asian artist to hold a solo exhibition during the 2nd Asian Arts Festival of New Zealand, featuring over 40 abstract paintings, jointly presented by 12 Asian countries.

Apr 2024 – Hosted her second solo exhibition at the Christchurch Art Centre, supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Christchurch City Council, and Everyone An Artist Foundation. The exhibition showcased 155 works and received strong recognition and support from the Consulate-General of China in Christchurch.

Oct 8, 2024 – “The Color of Life” solo exhibition at the hisilk artwork center xiamen.china

Jan 11, 2025 – Participated in the “Blue · White · Red” International Art Exhibition commemorating the 60th anniversary of China–France diplomatic relations at the Redtop Art Center, Xiamen.

Mar 18, 2025 – Featured in the Outstanding Female Painters Nomination Exhibition at the Kou Hua Building, Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Apr 2025 – Four works selected for the Louvre Contemporary Art Exhibition, Paris, France.

Jun 10, 2025 – Solo exhibition at the top red center for art xiamen.china

Jul 6, 2025 – Invited participant in the Peace-Themed Exhibition organized by e Atlantic Artists Association of Canada

Jul 9, 2025 – Exhibiting artist at the Asian Arts Festival, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Aug 17, 2025 – Participant in the World Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Competition, Hong Kong.

Aug 25, 2025 – Invited exhibitor at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan.

Oct 9–24, 2025, Gucheng International Art Creation Camp gucheng International art camp.china

Colors Across the Ocean

Chen Hong's art becomes a bridge to the soul

The morning light in Liaoning, China, once filled the window lattice of her grandmother's house, the sound of the traditional Chinese musical instrument Hu Qin lingered around the silk embroidered pillow, and the paintings and small ornaments on the table were soaked in warm light - the aesthetic secret of the artist Chen Hong's childhood. At that time, she was always lost in the kaleidoscope, and the colorful colors flowing in the tube were like stars scattered in the heart, quietly planting the seeds of painting. She was intoxicated by the tactfulness of opera, the delicacy of embroidery, and the melodiousness of music, but only the flowing splendor in the kaleidoscope really opened the door to her artistic perception.

After graduating from the Chinese Department of Liaoning University in China, she went to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province to study computer technology, but the turning point of her fate came by chance. When she learned that the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts was recruiting students majoring in fashion design, the memory of being able to step on a sewing machine to design dresses at the age of 12 suddenly came alive. "It was an instinctive love, and going to Beijing to study design was the most natural choice." She whispered softly, but she hid her dedication to art. In the class of the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts, her creative passion was like a spring. In the three-dimensional cutting class, the teacher asked to complete 10 sets of shapes in 10 days, and she handed in the answer sheet in one afternoon. When the teacher's praise fell to her ears, she was sure for the first time that she was on the smooth road of art.

Chen Hong's passion has never been limited to the field of fashion design. When she came into contact with Chinese painting, after only five lessons, she was able to copy the teacher's unsigned new works to be true and false, and her talent for Chinese painting creation quietly blossomed at this time. Now, as the vice president of the New Zealand Chinese Federation of Arts and Crafts and the former deputy secretary general of the Asian City Art Development Alliance, her works are collected by the Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch, New Zealand, and she has become an enthusiastic ambassador for the dissemination of Chinese culture overseas.

In her years of study and career, Chen Hong never put down her brush. During her years in New Zealand, she touched the pulse of Western contemporary painting, but also deeply rooted in the artistic conception of Eastern aesthetics. "Why not let Chinese and Western painting blend? Since it is my heart, it can also spread Chinese art." This thought made her creative inspiration surge. She often painted from midnight to dawn, and the longest time was 13 hours of continuous painting. The ink color flowed on the canvas, forgetting the flow of time. The masterpiece "Listening to the Tao in Thousand Gullies" uses cinnabar with ultragreen, which not only has the ingenuity of Chinese landscapes, but also contains the layers of Western painting light and shadow. The "Floating Mountains" series, with the charm of Song painting as the bone and Western color spectrum as the soul, stunned countless eyes when it appeared at the Louvre in France. Art critics say: "Her paintings give abstraction a palpable temperature and cultural exchange a palpable detail."

The trip to Dunhuang, China in 2023 left a profound cultural imprint on Chen Hong's heart. The thousand-year-old civilization on the murals of the Mogao Grottoes, the vicissitudes of the Gobi Desert, and the tenacity of Populus euphratica "not falling down for a thousand years, but not rotten" by the crescent moon spring all turned into a shocking force. After returning, she spent a year conceiving and completing 6 works expressing the theme of western China - on the canvas, the colors of the yellow sand and the grottoes blend, the posture of Populus euphratica stands upright, and the thousand-year-old civilization rejuvenates in the ink colors. She is still looking forward to going to Dunhuang again to listen quietly to the echoes of that ancient and grand civilization.

In addition to creating with the tip of her pen, Chen Hong is more willing to be a builder of cultural exchanges. In 2022, under the pandemic, she curated the "50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Singapore - Making the World a Better Place" international art exhibition hosted by the New Zealand Artists Foundation, bringing Chinese lacquer art to the Christchurch Art Center for the first time. For this exhibition, she invited well-known painters in the Canterbury area at the charity meeting, and completed the curation and installation non-stop. After more than two months of busy work, 32 Chinese and New Zealand artists exhibited together, and also allowed foreign audiences to understand the unique charm of Chinese lacquer.

In February 2024, the "Oriental Banquet" exhibition opened at the official residence of the Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch, New Zealand - incense curled, hands purified hearts, hairpins sent greetings, pots were thrown for fun, and more than 200 New Zealand dignitaries and representatives from all walks of life immersed themselves in the elegance of Chinese culture. The event was not only praised by guests, but also reported by Chinese state media. "To let everyone touch the richness of Chinese culture firsthand, from traditional costumes to Cuju, kites, and lacquer training, every link should be'immersive '," she said with a smile.

From a self-employed unknown designer to an international artist, Chen Hong has always been committed to "practical work and innocent life". She uses the brush as a boat, carrying the eastern ink color; using the color as a bridge, connecting Chinese and foreign civilizations, and writing the innocent heart of a Chinese artist in the ocean of world art.

Extrait des oeuvres