ART BASEL HONG KONG 2023: Works by Mou Huan & Shiau Jon Jen

During Art Basel Hong Kong 2023, Leo Gallery proudly presents “The Connection”, a joint exhibition of artworks by Mou Huan (b 1959) from Chengdu, China and Shiau Jon Jen (b 1954) from Changhua, Taiwan. Both artists use natural landscape imagery to explore human connections with nature and with society. Both artists incorporate oriental metaphors and their own cultural heritage into their works.

Mou’s paintings exemplify an interplay between his German neo-expressionism and Chinese cultural roots. Using traditional Chinese landscape brushwork, the otherwise vibrant imagery from nature is imbued all at once with a certain metaphorical quality of abstraction and figuration.

Shiau uses camphor wood as the main medium in his new series of sculptures aptly named “Imbalance Equilibrium”. Carved from single pieces of wood, eliminating spatial divisions, Shiau presents abstract geometric aesthetics with minimalism, his works give the audience a sense of suspension and detachment, giving ample room for both man and nature to develop individually and yet connect beyond boundaries.

Both artists, with their nearly forty-year long careers, perceive the inner order of nature and its permanence using oriental synonyms. “The Connection” aims to open a dialogue across the straits through the works of both artists while building a bridge between cultures.