BIOGRAPHIE

Nicolas, I am presenting this in two sections; one about me, the other about the exhibition in your Gallery. Please include what you want and put it in any order that you think appropriate. The last paragraph might need to be amended depending on your choice of paintings.

About the artist:

Kwong Kuen-Shan is a Chinese artist and writer. She was born and educated in Hong Kong and had spent most of her formative years in London. She now  lives and works in Wales where she paints, writes and teaches Chinese art.

She belongs to the traditional school of Chinese painters, painting from the inspiration she gets from what she sees. Traditional Chinese painters strive to capture the “Chi” – the vitality and the spirit of the subject. Our work often reflects our feelings, thoughts, philosophy and our mood at the time.

In Kuen-Shan’s work, be it domestic animals, wild life, or flowers and landscapes, she starts with careful observation of the subjects, striving to understand them, then paints images that arise from her Chinese thinking and painting techniques.

Educated in Classical Chinese Literature she often combines her paintings with appropriate quotes and sayings from ancient China. She selects the sayings and translates them from the original Chinese texts.  In her painting Kuen-Shan aims to draw viewers into the picture, to search for a story unfolding beyond what the eye can see. 

About the exhibition:

The Stars of this exhibition are the cat paintings from Kuen-Shan’s two books: Le Chat Zen and Le Chat Philosophe (The Cat and the Tao and The Philosopher Cat).

The books are unique because they link cats, ancient creatures, with the timeless teachings of the ancient Chinese, Confucius, Mencius and their disciples.

In spite of the international success of the two books, Kuen-Shan has not previously exhibited the original paintings, selling some to private collectors. This exhibition is thus the first time that the cat paintings have been shown as a collection to the public.

The exhibition also shows Kuen-Shan’s other work; Chinese and western landscapes, flower portraits in Chinese vases and small animal paintings. They are inspired by what she sees around her, each telling a story beyond the colours and brushstrokes.