Liu Dan Showcases Four Decades of Ink Mastery in Landmark Hong Kong Exhibition

Renowned Chinese ink artist Liu Dan is currently presenting his largest solo exhibition to date at Phillips Asia Headquarters in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. Titled “Liu Dan: Morphogenesis,” the selling exhibition features 26 works spanning over four decades of the artist’s career, offering a rare glimpse into the evolution of his practice and his singular vision.

Best known for his meticulous and philosophical approach to ink painting, Liu places particular emphasis on rocks, especially the porous Taihu stones that have captivated Chinese scholars for centuries. One of the most striking pieces in the exhibition is Taihu Rock aka “Yu Ling Long” (from Yu Garden, Shanghai) (2024), a monumental ink work priced at HK$10 million (US$1.3 million), depicting the famed “exquisite jade rock” from Shanghai’s historic Yu Garden.

Complementing his recent works are early studies of scholar’s rocks, displayed in a glass case, that show the progression of Liu’s technique and his lifelong engagement with the theme. Though rocks dominate his oeuvre, Liu’s artistic range extends far beyond. A notable example is Dictionary (2009), a photorealistic painting of a worn dictionary, created using watercolour and Chinese ink, which fuses Eastern methods with Western materials.

Another ambitious work, In the Time Immemorial, is a 24-metre-long scroll that encapsulates 4.6 billion years of geological history, merging science and art in a sweeping narrative. Modern influences are evident in works such as Sunflower (2024), where Liu reinterprets van Gogh’s iconic floral compositions through the lens of Chinese ink painting. The exhibition also includes Primal Vibrancy, a 527-centimetre-wide landscape that updates the shanshui tradition with contemporary energy.

Liu Dan, born in 1953 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, began painting in his youth and was among the first students to attend university after the Cultural Revolution, enrolling at the Jiangsu Academy of Chinese Painting in 1978. In the 1980s, he moved to the United States, where his style absorbed elements of realism and Impressionism. Since returning to China in the 2000s, Liu has sought to bridge Chinese and Western artistic traditions, a mission reflected in this latest exhibition.

“Liu Dan: Morphogenesis” runs until May 12 (closed May 5), from 10am to 6pm, at Phillips Asia Headquarters, West Kowloon Cultural District, 8 Austin Road West, Kowloon.

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