Chen Lianqing 陳聯慶 China, b. 1967

Overview
Sometimes people have two kinds of lives, one real and the other nihilistic; the nihilistic one contains art and spirituality, and possibly dreams. Reality encompasses the places that you want to visit, because what you can see is real and tangible. Nihilism exists within the painting and is intangible. What you can touch is only the material of the ink. You may think, and you may ponder, and that is what the art is all about, so art is a kind of life. ──Chen Lianqing
 
人有時有兩種生命,一是現實的一是虛無的,虛無的含有藝術和靈性,可能還有夢。現實就是什麼時候去想去的地方看看,因為能看見的就是現實的且可觸摸。虛無就在畫裡,不可觸摸,摸到的是水墨顏料、亞麻丙烯,可以想可琢磨,其實那就真有藝術的意思,所以藝術也是生命的一種。 ──陳聯慶
Born in Chongqing in 1967, Chen Lianqing’s passion for art developed from a young age. He often travelled to Shanghai and Suzhou to seek inspiration for his landscape sketches. After studying in the Chinese Painting department at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1989, the artist pursued his career to work in a Chinese furniture factory in Guangzhou. This paved a path for Chen in the interior design industry in Shenzhen and Chongqing. However, during his spare time he would ponder on issues that were related to art and this ultimately provoked him to create a series of works in 1994 and 2000. These paintings were instilled with basic clues for the artist’s later creations. Chen Lianqing’s artworks have been extensively exhibited in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Europe. The artist currently resides in Beijing.
 
陳聯慶1967年生於重慶萬州,自小喜繪畫,16歲去上海和蘇州寫生風景,1989年畢業於中國四川美術學院中國畫系。當年去了廣州一家香港人開的仿中國古典家具廠,繪製仿古家具上面的人物圖案,之後回重慶繼續從事設計事務的工作。工作之餘,他常常思考藝術問題,至1994年,陳連慶潛心繪製了一批作品,2000年末陳連慶又畫了一批作品,這批作品便成為了他後來的基本線索。此後十餘年,陳連慶的作品先後在香港、北京、上海、浙江及歐洲各國展出。陳連慶現生活創作於北京。
Works
Biography

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Chen Lianqing studied traditional Chinese painting as a young man, however, when he first exhibited with us in Hong Kong in 2007, it was his very contemporary acrylic on canvas paintings on the theme of “Flooding the Forbidden City” that were shown and, for which he has subsequently become well known.

Ink painting, however, has always been his first love, and in this exhibition we are pleased to present a collection of some of his old and new works in this medium. Unlike many contemporary Chinese artists, who slavishly paint whatever is currently ‘in vogue’, Chen truly paints what is in his heart and on his mind. Consequently in this collection we see very tender moments from his childhood; children playing hide and seek, flying a kite, walking to school. All these scenes are from the artist’s own life and are personal mementos and reminiscences. Painted in ‘gongbi’ or detailed realist style on silk or paper, we can appreciate the meticulous skill of his brushwork.

More recent works contain social commentaries on contemporary life, such as the man lying down, bellowing out a filthy smog from his mouth, clearly a critique of China’s polluted cities.

A few years ago with his own health problems causing him concern and then the passing away of his parents Chen started to contemplate the transient nature of life and turned to Buddhism, Zen meditation and Taoism for inspiration.  Several of his recent paintings also reflect this spiritualism and are contemplative in nature.

All of Chen’s works are thoughtful and thought provoking.  His goal has always been to reflect the true landscape of his heart, and in this way address some greater universal human ideals.

Chen was born in Chongqing in 1967 and is a graduate of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, graduating from the Chinese Painting Department with a BFA in 1989.  After leaving the Institute he spent several years working in design and architecture.  Chen has held several group exhibitions in Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang as well as solo exhibitions with prominent art galleries.  In 1997 his works were exhibited in six European countries.  He now lives and works in Beijing as a full time artist.

 

 

PAST Exhibitions

2007
Flooding the Forbidden City, Yan Gallery, Hong Kong, China (solo)
2006
2006 Beyond Experience New China! Arario Gallery, Beijing, China
2006
2006 Stroll in the Garden, Kong Gallery Opening Exhibition, Beijing, China
2006
2006 The Self-made Generation, 2005 Chinese Contemporary Painting Exhibition, Shanghai Zhengda Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China
2005
2005 Post Factory – Come and Gone, Beijing 798, China
2002
2002 Media City – Concept Art Exhibition, Artistic Art Museum of People’s Commune of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
2001
2001 Shanghai Fine Arts Exhibition, Art Museum of Shanghai, China
1998
1998 Chinese Figure Painting Exhibition, Zhejiang, China
1997
1997 Six European Countries’ Tour Show, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Spain, etc.
1988
1988 Six Artists’ Exhibition, Sichuan Fine Arts Academy, China
Exhibitions
Publications