Naked Lines

The complex composition and the experimental use of materials in Zheng Chongbin’s works never fail to amaze viewers at the boundless possibilities of the practice of Chinese contemporary ink paintings. With an interest in materials, Zheng did not follow the footsteps of his predecessors to paint figure, landscape and flower. Instead he allows ink itself to take centre-stage in his work and constantly explores and exposes its materiality. In a bold manifestation of black, white and grey, Zheng’s work exudes a powerful presence and has the ability to become part of the environment one inhabits.

In breaking through the two-dimensionality of ink painting, Zheng works with white acrylic to “enrich ink painting by adding abstract plastic elements, so as to create a multi-dimensional environment and increase the tangibility and tactility of the medium and compensate for the limited means that ink painting relies on. I found that by incorporating acrylic into ink painting, I cleared away barriers to expression: it completed my visual language.” By cutting, dividing and overlapping layers of paper, Zheng actively creates a tangible pictorial space that allows viewers to wander within.