Local Color
Sunday, September 9, 2001
IT'S A BLESSING that Chen KeZhan isn't famous in Hawaii, as he is in his native Singapore, where he's a rising star. The 42-year-old artist can go about town investigating what he loves the most -- plants -- without having to stop for admirers. East meets West in
a garden of images"Yes, it's very embarrassing," Chen says about being recognized in public. "I always have to stop and sign autographs. That's why it's hard for me to go out."
He isn't a recluse, but he prefers staying home where his large and ever-changing garden (named "Lu Lin," meaning "deer forest" in Chinese) is a constant source of inspiration. He likes to grow everything and even hangs on to dead plants for the odd textures and colors they offer.
"I love nature. I see myself really as a gardener. In the day I garden in the garden, and at night I garden in my studio where I paint," said Chen.Of the hundreds of seals he uses to mark his paintings, one is carved with "gardener" in Chinese rather than his name.
Chen is in the islands for his first Hawaii exhibition, which opened Thursday evening at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. In between hanging his artwork and meeting new fans, the passionate gardener ventured outdoors for new ideas in Hawaii's vibrant landscape.
Contemporary Ink Paintings by Chen KeZhan THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
Place: Asian Wing Galleries, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 31.
Admission: $7; $4 for seniors, students and military; free to members and children under 12; free on the first Wednesday of the month
Call: 532-8700
Hawaii's sky seems to be bluer and the colors more intense, he observed. The majestic flowering trees have made the biggest impressions on him, and he can't wait to return home to begin a new series of paintings reflective of his Hawaii experience.
"Painting is very important to me. It's my way of expressing myself. It's an abstraction of how I feel about things, and in a way, art to me is an abstraction of life," Chen said.
Chen is a painter's painter whose work is a synthesis of the East and the West. His methods are in the ancient tradition of Chinese brush painting. His brushstrokes are forceful, and he manages to retain a translucency with dense layers of black ink and mineral colors. His paintings are abstract, personal, lyrical and contemporary.
Chen comes from a long line of rice merchants, and his grandfather's Chinese art collection sparked his curiosity when he was a child. Noticing his talent and interest, his grand uncle, an accomplished calligrapher, taught him the rigorous tradition of Chinese calligraphy.His parents thought he'd become a collector of art and never expected him to become an artist. They were concerned about his future when he grew into a young man, but consented to giving him three months to study art.
"Then three months became another three months, then another three months. The more I painted, the more time I needed to paint; I kept asking for three more months.
"And now, 20 years later, I am still painting," Chen said.
Chen was a student of three masters of traditional Chinese art: Fan Chang Tien of the Shanghai School, Lingnan master Chao Shaoan and calligrapher Fung Kangho. In the 1980s he went to Paris to attend the Ecole des Beaux Arts and studied music as well. Music, literature and gardening are all influences in his work, he said.Chen is a leading figure in a new breed of contemporary Asian artists whose artworks are a blend of Asian and European traditions. His works have been exhibited extensively throughout Asia and Europe, and he was chosen as the artist representing Singapore at the prestigious 2001 Venice Biennale.
Chen's unique contemporary interpretation of the tradition of Chinese brush painting has earned him fame not only in Singapore, but also in China and Southeast Asia. Carol Khewhok, curator at the Honolulu Academy of Arts Art Center, became a fan while she lived and worked in Singapore. She helped arrange for Chen's first Hawaii exhibit, which is at two separate galleries in the academy's Asian Wing.The exhibit is a survey of his works since 1988. Many pieces are on loan from collectors, while 10 pieces are from the artist's own collection. The paintings range from large wall hangings to palm-size scrolls. Some are finished as traditional Chinese silk scrolls, while others are framed in the Western tradition.
Gardening Calendar
Suzanne Tswei's art column runs Sundays in Today.
You can write her at the Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI, 96813
or email stswei@starbulletin.com
