Artist / Chui Tze Hung
Chui Tze Hung (1936-)
Chui is an artist, writer, art critic, and art instructor.
Chui studied print-making with the American print-maker Joan Farra, and then he apprenticed with Lui Shou-kwan to learn ink painting. He excels in Chinese ink and colour painting, as well as Western art forms such as watercolor. In his early years, Chui derived his pictorial themes of mountains, rivers, waterfalls and woods from the Chinese painting tradition with profound mastery of light and shading effects, perspective and the modulation of lines. His watercolours are noted for bright colourful palette, spontaneous brush strokes and bold colour splashes. Chui also excels in calligraphy with swift and free play of brush work that exudes a sense of vigour with a unique style by blending the brush work and transformation of ink and colour splashes and washes. Chui successfully achieves a synthesis of calligraphy and painting which is marked by the creative vision of putting calligraphic scripts in painting and unrestrained rhythmic play of ink and brush and mastering a personal artistic vocabulary.
Chui has received numerous accolades, including the Urban Council Fine Arts Award (Painting, 1979; Calligraphy, 1994) at the Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial Exhibition held by the Hong Kong Museum of Art. In 1988, he won the U.S. International Artist Award and a Federal Fellowship to spend six months as an artist-in-residence at the "Artists' Retreat." He has also been invited as an "International Guest" to visit and exchange ideas worldwide. In 2005, Chui was awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the Hong Kong SAR Government's Home Affairs Bureau for his contributions to the arts.
His works have been extensively showcased in over 460 exhibitions, including solo and group shows across Europe, North America, Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia, and China, and has represented Hong Kong in Asian International Art Exhibition. Highlights includes his solo exhibition at Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in 2024, his first solo New Horizon of Ink Painting at the American Library (1968), solo exhibition at the Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong (1987), Hong Kong Art 1997 organized by the Hong Kong Museum of Art (National Museum of Fine Arts, Beijing and Guangdong Museum of Art, 1997) and others.
Chui’s works are held in prestigious collections locally and internationally, including M+ Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong University Fung Ping Shan Museum, the Luis de Camões Museum of Macao, National Gallery Singapore, National Museum of History, Taiwan, Vice President's Residence Art Collection in the U.S., Fukuoka City Foundation of Arts and Cultural Promotion, Hong Kong Government House, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Cathay Pacific Airlines, the American Club, Dynasty Club, Evergreen Hotel, Taiwan and Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and Macau etc.
As a pioneer in Hong Kong's ink art movement, Chui was a founding member of the "One Art Group", a key collective in the new ink movement of the 1970s–1980s, and a member of "In Dao Art Association". He has been committed to promoting ink art and mentoring the next generation of ink artists, inspiring the formation of groups like "New Ink Movement" and "Ink Dimensions" by his students since the 1990s.
Chui's name has been celebrated in "Who's Who in Hong Kong", "Reference Asia", "Who's Who in Australia and Far East", "International Biography", "The Contemporary Chinese Painters" and "The Elites of Hong Kong & Macau" etc.
Chui has been the chairman of International Society of Plastic and Audio-Visual Arts Hong Kong Branch, vise-chairman of Hong Kong Artist Association, founding director of Hong Kong Artists’ Guild etc., invited by Hong Kong Arts Development Council as an examiner of visual art sector, and currently advisor of Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, The University of Hong Kong (visual art).
He has served as a lecturer of the School of Professional and Continuing Education, the University of Hong Kong, Department of Extra-mural Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Academy of Visual Arts, the Baptist University of Hong Kong, etc. Currently Chui is an advisor of the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, the University of Hong Kong (visual arts).
Chui has been invited to write articles for art columns in many newspapers and magazines, and was the vice-chairman of Hong Kong Writers Association, and vice-chairman of Hong Kong Art Critics Alliance. His publications include Beyond the Brush (1991), Art World Talks (1993), Chronicles of the Art World (1998), Hongfenghuqu (Grandeur and the Essence of Teapots), Yitanyitan (Arts Community, Art Talks), Yitanfengyunlu (Happenings in the Arts Community), A Collection of Calligraphy Works by Chui Tze- hung, etc.
BIOGRAPHY
1936 Born in Hong Kong
1958-1962 Studied Chinese art at China College, Hong Kong
1968 Studied print-making with Joan Farrar (American artist)
Co-founded In Tao Art Association
1969 Studied Chinese ink painting with Lui Shou-Kwan at Extra Mural Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong
1971 Co-founded One Art Group
1985 Taught art at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
1988 Residency at Artists’ Colonies, Chicago, United States
1991 Published Beyond the Painters’ Brush
1992 Published Art Talks, Art Circle
Taught art at the School of Professional and Continuing Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Starts practicing calligraphy
1993 Started adding calligraphy to his paintings
1998 Published The Hong Kong Art Scene
1999 Interviewed by CNN for his establishment in art as a calligrapher
2002 Calligraphic work was published as a Hong Kong stamp, and Inscription for Bauhinia Garden in Wanchai, Hong Kong
2005 Established studio Touchstone at Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, Hong Kong
2020 Speaker of Summer Talk Series: Development of Hong Kong Art, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
Present Advisory of Jao Tsung-I Academy
Vice-Chairman of Hong Kong Writers Association, and Hong Kong Artists Association
Honorary President of the Chinese Poem, Calligraphy and Painting Research Institute (Lingnan Branch Campus)
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 “My Artistic Journey”, Touch Gallery, Hong Kong
2024 Uninhibited Perception: The Art of Chui Tze-Hung, Touchstone Workshop, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, Hong Kong
2018 In Search of Myself, Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery, Hong Kong
2014 In Search of Myself Travelling Exhibition, Jao Tsung-I Academic and Art Research Centre, Guangzhou, China; Jao Tsung-I Academy, Hong Kong; Jao Tsung-I Art Gallery, Dongguan, China
2010 50 Years of Art: Retrospective Exhibition, Art Museum of Guangdong Painting Academy, Guangzhou, China
2008 Sensuous Colour-fields by Chui Tze-hung, Bang & Olufsen Gallery, Hong Kong
1994 Line within Line: Sketches and Calligraphy, Artland Gallery, Hong Kong
1987 A Decade Plus: An Exhibition of Ink Paintings from 1970 to 1987, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
1986 Museum Luis de Camões, Macau
Retrospective: In Search of Myself, the American Library, Hong Kong
1972 United States Information Services, National 228 Memorial Museum, Taipei, Taiwan; Consulate General of United States Hong Kong and Macau, Hong Kong
1968 The American Library, Hong Kong
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 A New Era of Ink Painting in Hong Kong: 1st Chinese Cultural Festival, Hong Kong Central Library, Hong Kong
Word Play, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2022 New Rhythm of Line: Contemporary Hong Kong Ink Art, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong
2020 Uniquely Hong Kong: A Celebration of Hong Kong Art, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2016 Being and Inking: Documenting Contemporary Ink Art 2001-2016, Redtory Museum of Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, China
2015 A Legacy of Ink: Lui Shou-Kwan 40 Years On, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2007 Paintings on Ceramics Teapots, Shenzhen Pokart, Shenzhen, China
2006 The Spirit of Hong Kong Visual Art, HKU Space, Hong Kong
2001 Across the Art for 25 Years, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
1999 Homage to the Calligraphic Masters, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong
1997 Reunion and Vision: Contemporary Hong Kong Art, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Art, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
1995 Lui Shou-Kwan & His School, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
1992 Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennale, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
1989 4th Asian International Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
1988 Ink Painting by Hong Kong Artists, Barbican Centre, London, UK
1987 2nd Asia Art Festival, National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan
1985 Shui Mo: The New Spirit of Chinese Tradition, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong
1981 Urban Council Fine Arts Award Winners Exhibition, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
1976 One Art Group Exhibition, National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan
1973 Contemporary Hong Kong Ink, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
1972 Art Now Hong Kong, Evansville Museum, Indiana, USA
1970 Contemporary Hong Kong Art, Hong Kong Pavilion, World Expo Osaka, Japan
1962-1964 Hong Kong International Salon of Paintings, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong
SELECTED AWARDS
1979 Urban Council Art Biennale Fine Art Award (Chinese Painting), Hong Kong
1988 National Endowment for the Arts Grant, USA
1994 Calligraphy Prize, Hong Kong Art Biennale, Hong Kong
2005 Certificate of Commendation for Outstanding Achievements in Arts, Hong Kong
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale Collection
National Gallery of Singapore, Singapore
University of Nanyang, Singapore
National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan
M+, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Heritage Museum, Hong Kong
University Museum and Art Gallery, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Chase Manhattan Bank, Hong Kong
Cathay Pacific Airlines, Hong Kong
American Club, Hong Kong
Museum Luis de Camões, Macau