Different Paths, Shared Destination: A Reunion in Hong Kong

Through Memories of TokyoIn 1985, three young artists from Hong Kong and mainland China — Chung Tai Fu, Chen Wenguang , and Zhang Huoyan — met on the campus of Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan. Each pursued their studies, Chung specializing in printmaking, Chan in Nihonga, and Cheung in design. United by a shared passion for art, they formed a lasting bond in a foreign land. In March 1989, the Hong Kong Chinese Culture Promotion Center organized an exhibition of their works, the Exhibition of Young Artists Studying in Japan. This marked the first moment their youth and aspirations were shared collectively with the world.

Thirty-seven years later, the three now reunite in I.F. Gallery Hong Kong. Although they have each walked distinct artistic paths, exploring different mediums, this exhibition reveals a convergence underlying their journeys: a shared clarity, restraint, and assurance refined by decades of artistic practice.

Chung Tai Fu (mineral pigment, wood panels) works with mineral pigment and printmaking on wood panels. He renders intimate forest scenes through layered pigments and metal foil. As a key advocate of the mineral pigment practice in Hong Kong, Chung demonstrates a keen sensitivity and reverence towards his materials. Within his picture planes, lush forests thrum and thrive, shimmering with the luster of nature and layered time.

Chen Wenguang (mineral pigment, Nihonga) continues the artistic lineage of his mentor, Kayama Matazō, by integrating Chinese imagery into Nihonga compositional convention. His Zodiac series presented here, although modest in scale, carries powerful gravitas. Through the richness of mineral pigments and an elegant use of color, Chan imbues traditional symbols with renewed life.

Zhang Huoyan (acrylic painting, figurative art) studied under the Japanese artist Ōyabu Masataka, and was deeply influenced by his integrative approach to art and design. Committed to sustaining and developing the aesthetic spirit of Eastern culture, Cheung’s works possess a tranquil and gentle energy. With delicate brushwork and a quiet, prose-like rhythm, they convey a sense of understated, enduring beauty that transcends time.Although the three differ in method, their spirits resonate.

Thirty-seven years ago in Tokyo, they first saw one another’s art; thirty-seven years later in Hong Kong, they now face one another’s lifetimes. The works in this exhibition may be small in scale, but they contain years of artistic cultivation. This is a story of reunion, and a testament to how three artists, amid the noise of changing times, have each remained faithful to their inner stillness.