"On the Occasion of My Solo Exhibition" 　　　 Zhou Hao

Thanks to your support, this year marks the third time I have held a solo exhibition at Artland Gallery, which is held every two years. I am anxious but very happy to be able to show my work again to the people of Marugame.

I have not seen the gallery owner, Yamashita Takashi, since last year's Shanghai Art Fair. Although I was busy in Shanghai, the nine days were filled with delicious food, interaction with local galleries and artists, walking around the city, and other fun activities. Above all, I was very happy to be able to talk with Mr. Yamashita as much as I wanted.

By the way, in addition to ink drawings, I will be exhibiting 10 monotype works on hanging scrolls, which is something I have been trying to do since last year. As for the works on display, I would like to add that I tried to keep the style of the hanging scrolls as simple as possible so that they can be easily integrated into a contemporary space.

I have been displaying most of the works in frames, but when I saw the drawings and monotypes on the hanging scrolls looking so comfortable, I felt a sense of deep admiration for the wisdom of our ancestors. Similar works were unexpectedly well received at my recent solo exhibitions in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Kobe.

Since the beginning of my career, I have often been described as "oriental" in my work. However, I have never produced my works with this in mind. But in the past year or two, I have been strongly attracted to ink and hanging scrolls, as if I had finally "returned to my ancestors". In the midst of all this, I have decided to present my works in Hong Kong and Germany one after another.

ZHOU Hao

Biography, Selected Exhibitions and Public Collections

Biography

Zhou Hao was born in Shanghai, China, in 1960. From the age of six through his high school years, he spent approximately ten years living through the Cultural Revolution.

In 1983, he came to Japan as a privately funded international student. The following year, he entered the Department of Oil Painting at Musashino Art University. In his third year, he transferred to the newly established printmaking course, becoming a member of its first graduating class and studying lithography. During this period, his work gradually shifted toward abstraction.

At the same time, he encountered the Mingei philosophy of Yanagi Sōetsu, which made a profound impression on him. Through the writings of Suzuki Daisetsu on Zen, he also began to reconsider the classical culture of his native country. While reading works on Daoist thought, particularly Laozi and Zhuangzi, he developed a strong interest in contemporary art in both Japan and the West.

In 1987, he received a scholarship from the Koyama Keizo Foundation for the Promotion of Art and participated in the first Asian Art Student Residency Program, working in residence at the Shirakaba Museum of Art in Yamanashi Prefecture, with the support of Tokyo Gallery Yoshii.

In 1988, he graduated from the Printmaking Course, Department of Oil Painting, College of Art and Design, Musashino Art University. In 1989, he received a Japanese Government Scholarship from the Ministry of Education. In 1990, he completed the master’s program in printmaking at the Graduate School of Art and Design, Musashino Art University.

After completing graduate school, he joined MMG, a printmaking studio in Higashi-Azabu, Tokyo, directed by printmaker Yusaku Masuda. While working in plate preparation and printing, he continued to produce and exhibit his own prints. He left the studio in 2003 and thereafter devoted himself fully to his artistic practice.

In 2008 and again in 2010, through the introduction of Yusaku Masuda, he produced intaglio prints at Atelier Rémy Bucciali in France. In 2016, he participated in the LOVEART – Summer Artists Residence Project and worked in residence in Italy.

Based between Shanghai and Yokohama, Zhou Hao continued his artistic practice and presented solo exhibitions primarily in Japan and China, while also participating in international print exhibitions and art fairs in Japan and abroad.

He passed away in September 2023 at the age of 62.