HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents the sale of Contemporary Ink Art to be held on 5 October in Hall 3 of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Representing over five decades of innovation, Contemporary Ink Art showcases diverse stylistic approaches to the ink genre by established painters whose works dynamically transform the medium. Merging traditional Asian philosophies with modern perspectives, these artists’ creations engender a vibrant dialogue that continues to thrive across generations and geographies. More than 90 lots of inventive paintings, figurative scenes and conceptual works by acclaimed contemporary ink artists will be offered at the sale, estimated in excess of HK$26 million / US$3.3 million.

Mee-Seen Loong, Vice Chairman, Chinese Art, Sotheby’s New York and Head of Contemporary Ink Art Worldwide, says,“Sotheby's initiated the sales of contemporary ink in Hong Kong and New York in the 1980s and over the last few years interest has grown with dedicated selling exhibitions and auctions. I am especially excited about the upcoming 'Feast' of ink works by leading literati masters of the past 50 years from the late C.C. Wang, an old friend from New York as well as a group of amazing women artists including Irene Zhou, Fang Zhaolin and Tseng Yuho, to the current circle of extraordinary artists like Liu Dan, Zhu Wei, Xu Bing and Li Huayi.”

Katherine Don, Head of Contemporary Ink Art, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, says, “The works in this sale contribute to the largest and most diverse body of ink art that we have ever presented in this category. Anchored by high calibre paintings by established artists from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and overseas, these works represent several decades of innovation in ink art. We are exceptionally proud to present quality works that are visually stunning and unusually monumental, as well as rare and fresh-to market pieces, including a core of works by female modern artists.”

Iconic and rare works by established artists
This sale presents early and rare works by artists whose painting careers are recognised for their consistent focus on the innovation and cultivation of the ink painting genre in a contemporary context. Trained in traditional Chinese painting, and often with an astute understanding of Western art, these artists preserve the rich cultural painting tradition with works characterised by exceptional technical ability and intellectual rigour. Highlights of the sale include works by Liu Dan, Liu Guosong, Li Huayi, Li Shaoke, Lu Shoukun, Wang Jiqian (C.C. Wang), Wucius Wong and Zhu Wei. The sale also presents works by artists whose unusual painting styles have greatly influenced their contemporaries and been admired by collectors alike for decades, such as Chen Qikuan, Yu Chengyao and Yu Peng.

Liu Guosong (Liu Kuo-Sung; b. 1932), Misty Mountains Afar, 1969. Ink and colour on paper, 149 x 308.5 cm. Est: HK$5 – 6 million / US$640,000 –770,000
Exhibited at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in 1990 and at the Hong Kong Arts
Museum in 2004, this masterpiece by Liu Guosong (previously part of the Water Pine and Stone Retreat Collection) is a featured highlight of this sale. Heralded as a legendary pioneer of modern Chinese calligraphy painting, Liu Guosong is known for his lifelong revolutionary innovations in colour, texture, and technique. Profoundly influenced by the modern art movement in the West at an early stage, Liu eventually moved away from Abstract Expressionism in the 1960s to forge a style of painting entirely his own. Misty Mountains Afar precisely marks this turning point in the artist’s career. Emblematic of Liu’s defining contemporary vision, this landscape features an abstract composition created by masterful ink-rubbing techniques and bold, gestural brushwork.

Liu Dan (b. 1953). Floating Clouds, 2004. Ink on paper, 195 x 250 cm. Est: HK$2.5– 3.5 million / US$320,500 – 448,000
Liu Dan is one of the most accomplished contemporary painters in ink today. Floating Clouds epitomises the transcendent universe of Liu Dan and is a timeless tribute to traditional Chinese culture, philosophy, and the spiritual practice of rock contemplation. This colossal image was previously in the notable Jiansongge Collection and is brilliant example of the artist’s exploration of a single object on a larger than life scale.

Zeng Xiaojun (b. 1954), Ten Thousand Brushstrokes, 1999. Ink and colour on paper, 142 x 181.5 cm. Est: HK$1 – 1.5 million / US$128,000 – 192,000
Ten Thousand Brushstrokes is an exceptional departure from Zeng Xiaojun’s more well-recognised paintings of gnarled roots and twisting, withered trees. Using thousands of minute brushstrokes, this monumental landscape is a mesmerising, explorative study on abstraction, colour, and rhythm.

Zhu Wei (b. 1966), Pictures of the Strikingly Bizarre – Hand-Washing Ritual
1994. Ink and colour on paper, mounted on silk and panel, (diptych). Left: 134 x 67 cm; Right: 134 x 64 cm. Est: HK$1 – 1.5 million / US$128,000 – 192,000
One of China’s internationally recognised contemporary artists, Zhu Wei paints whimsical satires layered with symbols, metaphors, and both personal and social narratives. From an important private Asian collection, Pictures of the Strikingly Bizarre– Hand-Washing Ritual is fresh to the market and a particularly distinctive work of the artist. Zhu Wei often looks to historical masterpieces for inspiration and in this case illustrates an allegory of Tang and Song dynasty literati gatherings with irony and a contemporary interpretation. The two panels are mounted on a brilliant vermilion frame, a potent symbol for China, and stamped with Zhu’s shen pin (“masterpiece”) seal – one he reserves for only his finest creations.

Abstraction in calligraphy and painting
As a core concept of Chinese painting, abstraction draws upon Daoist and Zen Buddhist philosophy. Contemporary artists using abstraction as a form of visual expression, apply aesthetics and ideas cultivated for centuries in the calligraphy and ink painting traditions, and often refer to abstract expressionist developments in modern Western art. Breakaway innovations in abstraction presented in this sale range from iconic works by internationally recognised contemporary artists Gu Wenda, Qiu Deshu, Qiu Zhijie, Wang Tiande and Xu Bing, to early paintings by pioneers of modern calligraphic expression in Japan. Contemporaneous with the legendary avant-garde Gutai movement, the Bokujinkai Group was founded in 1952 by Inoue Yuichi and Shiryu Morita, who catapulted calligraphy as a form of modern expression onto the international scene in the post-war era. Following the successful sale of Yuichi’s work at Sothebys in April 2015 for the first time at international auction, Sotheby’s is pleased to present iconic examples of the single character action paintings by the Bokujinkai group.

Breakaway innovations by modern female artists
Rare, fresh-to-market works by a selection of female artists represent signature styles that embrace the spirit of Chinese art while presenting a distinctive visual language of self-expression. Fang Zhaolin, Irene Chou, Koo Mei, Nie Ou and Tseng Yuho are recognised as some of the most pioneering figures within 20th century Chinese ink painting.

A group of four lots from the collection of Tseng Yuho provides a comprehensive overview of the artist's oeuvre, ranging from early monochromatic ink painting to her inventive multi-panelled dsui painting collage works.

Zeng Youhe (Tseng Yuho) (b. 1924), Hawaiian Sunset [set of 6 panels] (detail), Circa mid 1980s – mid 1990s. Ink on colour and paper laid in Hawaiian tapa cloth
mounted on Masonite board, Overall 91.4 x 574 cm. Est: HK$300,000 – 400,000 / US$38,000 – 51,000
Hawaiian Sunset is a quintessential example of Tseng’s dsui painting technique and multi-panel presentation style, where she experiments with the textures of Hawaiian tapa cloth and creates irregularly-shaped, multi-panelled works. The result is a contemporary interpretation of viewing a traditional Chinese handscroll landscape.