CHEN XINMAO

Chen Xinmao is one of China’s pre-eminent abstract artists. Drawing on a wealth of experience, the artist experiments with all sorts of media, from wood and crude to exquisite paper, wax and Chinese ink stamping and has pioneered a new way of experiencing ink painting.  

Having lived through tremendous changes in China’s recent past, Chen Xinmao is an artist who is obsessed with history. Many of the titles of his works are “History Book Series” and even his few non-abstract pieces feature ancient rocks formations or other historical objects. But the most impressive quality of Chen’s work is the mere beauty of it. The artist has managed to combine many deep, profound concepts into something that is abstract and very attractive to look at. From the soft texture of the paper that Chen selects to the appealing colour palette, to the mastery with which he uses Chinese ink wash to create fantastically abstract mountain-scapes and scenes, or the strong reds or blues, blurred into an abstract text – almost fiery or cool. Through all of his repeated experimentations over time, Chen Xinmao has truly become one of China’s abstract master-artists.