60 Years of Art Life—A Retrospective Exhibition of Hong Fu
23 Mar 2023 – 2 Apr 2023
Meet the artist at the opening event on Saturday 25 March, 1pm–3pm. All welcome
Location: Frater, Hammond & McCubbin Galleries
Curated by Echo Cai, this exhibition celebrates the commended Chinese-Australian artist Hong Fu, featuring 60 years of his art from 1962 to 2022.
60 years of life across time and place, language and culture.
60 years of art from Chinese ink to western oil, from Russian social realism to contemporary art.
Born in 1946, Hong Fu started learning Chinese Calligraphy and Chinese ink painting at the age of 5. He went to the Institute of Arts & Design in Beijing in 1962, at age 16, where he studied a wide range of art in a traditional strict and tough way. Drawing, chromatology, art anatomy, design: more than 20 courses. 6 years of boarding school training built him a strong foundation and benefits his art practice to this day.
'Self-portrait 2002', oil on linen
The Culture Revolution in 1966 ended normal life for all Chinese people. Hong Fu painted the huge scale of the portraits of Chairman Mao for several years. As a young art student, he learnt how to compose huge painting over 10-meters high by hand.
Only one of his artworks from age 16 survived being burned during the Cultural Revolution. This one surviving work, displayed in this retrospective exhibition, was stuck to a window by his grandmother.
Hong Fu worked for another 10 years in the art industry. He was an art editor of the China Central Television and was the director of the Artist’s Gallery in Beijing (which was the first non-government gallery in China after the Culture Revolution).
This retrospective exhibition features several picture books he drew for the publications during the period, as well as some of his paintings he brought with him from China. This includes an oil painting, ‘White flowers’, which appeared in his first solo exhibition in 1988. It was held in the highly acclaimed ‘National Art Museum of China’ in Beijing.
'Sunflowers', oil on canvas
'Prof. Mabel Lee', oil & pastel on canvas'
'Nude and easel', oil on canvas
In 1989 the Tiananmen Square massacre destroyed everything. Hong Fu decided to leave for freedom and become a real artist, like the artists living in western countries he had seen in books. He picked Australia even if he knew nothing except that it was ‘a country that is riding on the sheep’s back’.
In 1990, he arrived in Perth.
From then on the different language and culture shocked him. Rebirth. He found his art life blooming in Australia just like the local flowers. He is free without fear anymore.
In the 60th year of his art career, 2022, his portrait 'Artist, Peter Wegner' was been selected as a finalist of Archibald. Another portrait 'Novelist, Alex Miller' won the highly commended award of the Darling Prize 2022 and was collected by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.
Banner Image: 'Beijing Opera, Echo & Helena', oil & ink on linen
Acknowledgment of traditional owners.
We would like to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which our building stands, their leaders, past, present and emerging.