Opening Talk for the exhibition "Zhou Hao"

On Sunday, October 9, at 2:00 p.m., we will hold an opening talk by Mr. Zhou Hao, who was invited to The Laforêt Family Summer Vacation Project this September, about his four-week residency in Ghiffa, Northern Italy. He will talk about his four-week residency in Ghiffa, Northern Italy. Please feel free to join us!

Here is an episode from Mr. Zhou's stay in Italy. (From the opening talk).

This time, a big collector (invitee) in Italy invited 15 Asian artists whom he selected himself to his mansion. Mr. Zhou stayed and worked in Ghiffa in northern Italy near the Swiss border for about four weeks from the end of August. The artists were responsible for their round-trip airfare, and their stay was completely free of charge. Of course, couples are welcome. However, the artist must create a painting and present it to the invitees, regardless of its size. All painting materials necessary for the residency will be provided by the guest. Mr. Zhou and his wife were both invited to participate in the residency.

Mr. Zhou planned to leave two large paintings, which he had been thinking about before he left, and he immersed himself in his work from morning to night. He did not eat lunch, so the invitees took the trouble to prepare wine for him. The photo was taken at one point in the production process. While many artists were out and about, Zhou Hao devoted himself to creating oil paintings. He is able to spend his time confronting himself in a foreign country, just as he does in his own studio, because he has a strong desire to paint. I felt as if I had seen the proof of his existence as an artist.

When he returned to Japan, the invitees were extremely pleased and praised his work. One might say that ・・・・ real art is something that provides such an irreplaceable time, where one can own the work of such an artist and experience the bliss of sharing a rich time with its creator.

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.