Acrylic on canvas

165 × 150 cm. 65 × 59 in.

Titled in Chinese and English, dated and signed in English on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Tara Downs Gallery, New York
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

From a Tree, into an Ideal Scene
Hou Zichao's Millennial Perspective

"Landscape is a medium of exchange between the human and the nature, the self and the other."
——American scholar W.J.T. Michell

Some say, "Hou Zichao’s paintings might be about landscapes." Initially perplexing, this statement becomes apt after witnessing his works. Hou Zichao, an art enthusiast since childhood, studied at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea College of Arts in the UK. After graduating in 2013, he returned to Beijing as a full-time artist. Using a unique visual language, he emphasizes the distance between artificial landscapes and real nature in the millennial era, portraying the gap between this and everyday life. Praised by Art News magazine’s editor-in-chief Cheng Nai-Ming as an "extremely rare contemporary artist who can control architectural elements through painting while subtly bringing visual recognition back to the sensory realm." Hou Zichao has exhibited in New York, Taipei, Beijing, and Hong Kong, and gained recognition from young collectors. His works are collected by the Long Museum, Song Art Museum, and Holt Family Collection in New York. This presentation features his representative work, Shouting Fed Fruit.

Supernatural Gravity, Man-Made Landscapes

Expressing feelings and belonging to nature through painting, inspired by his journey to Xinjiang in 2016. "In 2016, I hiked through Xinjiang, crossing the Tianshan. That’s when I truly felt what nature is. I felt the insignificance of humans and realized the vast difference between the ‘composition’ of nature and the ‘pseudo-nature’ seen in the city. After that experience, I seriously pondered what kind of nature I wanted to paint." Represented in Shouting Fed Fruit, the main subject is a volcanic eruption. Layer by layer, he builds an imaginative concept, with green coconut shells cascading down from a deliberately blank tree shape in the centre as if defying gravity, dancing and floating in space. The contrast between orange and green hues reveals a release of natural earth energy, causing destruction and establishing a new order. Through dramatic tension in the scene, he adds a touch of artificial beauty to nature. Hou Zichao uses passionate strokes to create lively trees and fruits. The disrupted "landscape" contrasts with nature, presenting a new, artificial perspective, showcasing the millennial human view.

Deep Breath, Savor the Fruits of Life

Although the title Shouting Fed Fruit is not a direct translation, it aligns with the artist’s naming logic. Hou Zichao intertwines images and textual information, letting these uncontrolled and misread details overlay to complete a "daydreaming observation." Starting in 2020, he began naming works with unconventional sentences as the most direct supplement to the artwork. Each word is carefully chosen, combined, and read in different ways, generating new visual scenes from the interplay of text and image. The dynamic activities of "shouting" and "feeding fruit," seem to tell viewers: to relax and enjoy the unexpected fall of fruits, rich and sweet, just like savoring the present moment of life! Although Hou Zichao pursues beauty, he refuses to stay permanently in this fixed state; his paintings are always changing and evolving. His works serve a purpose beyond decoration, much like everything in his mind and eyes——a sensory and perceptual adventure.

Price estimate:
HKD: 140,000 – 200,000
USD: 17,900 - 25,500

Auction Result:
HKD: 168,000