ZOU YINONG

Zou Yinong, born in 1959 in ZheJiang Province, China, Zou Yinong currently resides in Melbourne, Australia, and is a freelance artist. He has witnessed many changes and transformations in China. In 1976, at 16, Zou Yinong began studying traditional Chinese ink painting, calligraphy, and folk art. This marked the conclusion of challenging years in China, during which traditional art forms were not widely encouraged. Zhejiang is a region with a rich artistic history, boasting numerous significant local artists, including Pu Hua (1834-1911), Feng Zikai (1898-1975), and Mu Xin (1927-2011), among others. In addition, Zou Yinong has extensively studied various aspects of European modernism, ranging from Henri Matisse (1869-1954) to German Expressionism. It's worth noting that Matisse was influenced by Asian art, particularly Japanese art, and viewed colour as a tool for emotional expression.

Zou Yinong recognised these resonances and attempted to integrate Chinese ink painting with European painting forms, creating a novel layout of cross-cultural artistic influence. After studying art creation within the system of the Yangzhou School of Arts and Crafts in the 1980s, he honed his skills for decades amidst the societal currents. Finally, in 2016, he began holding solo exhibitions in China and travelled internationally to create and showcase his artworks. His recent field trips have included exploring the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, China, and the East Gippsland region in Australia, where he engages in on-site contemplation and artistic creation.

邹亦农，1959年出生于中国浙江省，现旅居在澳大利亚墨尔本，是一位自由艺术家。他见证了中国的许多变革和更新。 1976年，16岁的邹亦农开始学习中国水墨画、书法和民间艺术。这正是中国经历艰难岁月的结束，在这些岁月中，传统艺术形式并末受到广泛鼓励。淅江是一个艺术历史悠久的地区，有许多重要的本地艺术家，包括蒲华(1834-1911)、丰子恺（1898-1975） 和木心 （1927-2011） 等等。

除此之外，邹亦农对欧洲现代主义的各个方面都很有研究,从亨利•马蒂斯 (1869-1954） 到德国表现主义都有涉及。值得注意的是，马蒂斯受到亚洲艺术特别是日本艺术的影响，将色彩视为情感表达的工具。邹亦农认识到了这些共鸣，试图将中国水墨画与欧洲绘画形式综合起来，从而创造出一种新的跨文化影响的绘画形式。他上世纪八十年代在扬州工艺美校系统学习艺术创作后，又在社会浪潮中砥砺数十年，终于2016年开始在中国举办个人展览，并在国际上旅行绘画和并展出作品。最近的野外旅行包括在中国甘肃河西走廊和澳大利亚东吉普斯兰地区,并现场冥思、创作。

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

The 10th China Watercolour and Gouche Exhibition Solo Exhibition, Lingnan Art Museum，Guangdong

China Zou Yinong Solo Exhibition, Jiaxing Library, Zhejiang

China An Exhibition of Zhang Junqiu and Zou Yinong, Yangzhou Art Museum, Jiangsu 

China Yi Cai Tong Dao — Academic Exhibition of Famous  Chinese Artists Solo Exhibition, Changsha, Hunan

China Weimar touring exhibition, Weimar, Frankfurt Germany Solo Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia 

The First Retrospective Exhibition of Australian Chinese  Artists, Sydney, Australia

“Zou Yinong’s approach to watercolour is extremely profound and affectionate. Upon encountering his  works, the first thought I had in regards to it was his consciousness of the perceptual and physical characteristics of the subjects in his paintings. His watercolour paintings have a traditional expressionist procedure,  while at the same time advancing the canon of watercolour art to a contemporary visual context. Thus, his  artworks fulfil the sense of contemporaneity both physically and spiritually. 

A feature of Zou's works is his exploration towards abstract symbolisation in artistic expression. At the same  time, we also find the artist's efforts to pursue the independence of his own aesthetic character through  artistic language. As an artist working within the spheres of the Chinese culture system living in Australia,  Zou naturally and introspectively integrates spiritual elements of Chinese traditional art in his paintings. As  well as this, due to the inherently bright and transparent characteristics of watercolour as a medium, many  artists’ works tend to fall into the convention of a popular, immediate and flagrant, aesthetic. In this  respect Zou is very alert; his works value the separation from traditional aesthetic tastes, harnessing a  contemporary dialogue of cross-cultural painting into a a sophistication usually belying this process and  medium. This robust character and earnestness is rare, and praiseworthy for a watercolour artist. 

I believe Zou to be one of the outstanding watercolour painters working today; the artist draws from, and  away, the traditions of watercolour painting giving it a new life in this contemporary context.”