In Conversation: Revealing the Creative Process

  • 18 November 2021

Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Enli, curator of the exhibition ‘Drawing on the Mind,’ in conversation with Ying Kwok, Senior Curator for Digital and Heritage at Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts, discuss and share the preparatory works that reveal the artists’ creative process and subconscious, as well as Zhang’s curatorial concept.

About ‘Drawing on the Mind’
On view through 27 November, this group exhibition curated by Chinese contemporary artist Zhang Enli includes selected works by modern and contemporary masters, including Louise Bourgeois, John Chamberlain, Alexander Calder, Arshile Gorky, Piero Manzoni, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, David Smith, Zeng Fanzhi, and Zhang Enli himself, revealing the thinking processes of the artists, and offering a glimpse into the subconscious of their minds.

About Zhang Enli
Born in Jilin province in 1965, Zhang Enli graduated from Wuxi Technical University, Arts and Design Institute in 1989. Zhang currently lives and works in Shanghai. Mundane objects and the traces of daily life activities are the dominant depicted subjects in Zhang’s works. The muted tones and loose washes of paint intertwine with the expressive lines and curves that make the objects seem removed as if occupying a liminal reality where only the essence of the object is portrayed on the canvas. Zhang’s depiction on the prosaic aspects of contemporary life leads viewers to think about the proposition of existence.

About Ying Kwok
Ying Kwok is the Senior Curator for Digital and Heritage at Tai Kwun – Centre for Heritage and Arts. She has been working as an independent curator between 2013-2021. She works with a diverse range of art and cultural institutions locally and internationally, from artist’s initiatives, art festivals, to public museums and the commercial sector. She always synthesizes different art forms in contemporary visual art, from site specific commissions, performances, to film and video.