中译

Academic Foundation

• 2012: Postgraduate Certificate, Chinese Art (History), SOAS, University of London

• 2008–09: Master of Media Arts and Production (Film and Video), University of Technology Sydney

• 2005–08: Bachelor of Commerce (Double Majors: Marketing and French Studies), University of Sydney

While my formal education appears eclectic, it might have formed the basis of my interdisciplinary approach to art and thought. I began painting at the age of 27 in 2013. Within a year, my earliest works were selected by institutions of renown, including the National Portrait Gallery, London, and several Royal Societies such as the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, of Oil Painters, of British Artists, and of Women Artists. From that point onward, every notable UK art competition showcasing representational art featured my work.

Achievements and Recognition

• Two-time winner of the Ondaatje Prize for Portraiture at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, London

• Two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, Montreal

• Exhibitions in major UK museums, including:

• National Portrait Gallery, London

• Scottish National Portrait Gallery

• Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool

• Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales

• Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens

A Journey Beyond the Mainstream

Though self-taught as a painter, my accomplishments attest to an exceptional ability to draw and paint. However, my path diverged from the conceptual and postmodern mainstream dominating the art market. From the outset, I maintained a deliberate distance from the commercial sphere, seeking instead to cultivate a unique voice beyond prevailing contemporary trends.

Years of solitude, reflection, and rigorous learning allowed me to construct a metaphysical framework that underpins Hortus Conclusus 寓形於兩間 and its long-term potential for growth and evolution. The journey was not merely one of technical mastery but a deliberate quest to unite form and thought, transcending the limitations of “draftsmanship” alone.

Toward a Unified Vision

My intellectual pursuits draw upon the literary, philosophical, and art-historical heritages of both East and West, along with psychology, economics, and politics. This interdisciplinary foundation enables me to grapple with the complexities of our time and to weave them into a broader, cohesive artistic vision. I am inspired by Richard Wagner’s concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total artwork)—“the consummated art form of the future”—which integrates diverse disciplines into a unified aesthetic and intellectual experience.

Noam Chomsky’s critique of postmodernism—“I can’t understand what they’re talking about, but they seem to understand each other”—captures a profound alienation in Contemporary Art. Hortus Conclusus strives for the opposite: a space where depth and accessibility coexist, fostering connections that are as nuanced as they are universal.