Mixed media on woodboard

Dia. 40 cm. x 2 15 3/4 in.x 2

Signed in Chinese and dated on the bottom right of the upper piece; signed in Chinese and dated on the middle left of the lower piece

LITERATURE
2000, The Universe Is My Mind, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, p.20-21
2001, The Biography of Irene Chou, Bridge U & Co. Pty. Ltd., Capalaba, p.52
EXHIBITED
8-31 Dec 2000, The Universe Is My Mind, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong

PROVENANCE
Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

The Universe Is My Mind
Irene Chou's Expression of Heaven and Earth through Art

Born in Shanghai, Irene Chou studied under the Lingnan School master, Chao Shao-An, and Hong Kong ink artist, Lui Shou-Kwan. As an important member of the New Ink Painting Movement, Chou's work combines ink and abstract expressionism, while specializing in using a range of media to present a unique cosmology. Her works are in the collections of the University of Oxford, the British Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and renowned art historian, Michael Sullivan.

In 1991, Chou suffered from a stroke and recovered by practising Qigong. Afterwards, she used Qigong stances as inspiration to express the spiritual upliftment among the energy of the universe, resulting in the series, The Universe Is My Mind. Representative of this series, the work on offer in this auction is a rare set of two circular paintings that echo each other, being one of only four sets of two circular paintings in the auction room.

A Balanced Universe of Strength and Flexibility

In the upper piece, black ink is splashed to form a ring, grand and mystical like solid earth; meanwhile, the lower piece is a spiral made up of slender ink strokes, extending inward to infinity, light and free like an expansive void. The two pieces resemble the Tai Chi concept of Yin and Yang, balancing strength and flexibility. Among the ink tones, red and green lines form spirals that circle within the painting frame. These lines are like the blood and bones born from the exhausted flesh of Kua Fu, who fell to the ground while chasing the sun after the break of chaos, quietly penetrating the colourless earth and bringing the dawn of life. Then, dancing drops of colour in the painting introduce order to the ink-splashing universe: the freshness of green, the brightness of orange, golden stars, and blazing red flames... all journeying between heaven and earth, reminding us of the circulation of stars, the motions of atoms, the surging earthly heat, and the sprawling vegetation, resounding through our minds like a rhapsody of life.

Price estimate:
HKD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 3,800 – 6,400

Auction Result:
HKD: -