Chinese Ink on Paper
124x60cm
Huang Hong Tao‘s Nameless Hills series was born from his emotional attachment to the rolling hills of the Heilongjiang region where he grew up. There are no grand and famous mountains or rivers in this land, no real mountains to speak of in fact, just hillocks and mounds that mostly do not have the elevation to lay claim to a name.
There is a dreamlike quality to Huang Hong Tao‘s paintings. The Nameless Hills series has been a subject the artist has been painting for close to ten years. It is not a specific hill or location but a spiritually sacred imagery for the artist, all the more poignant because it is unnamed.
Nameless Hills is the subject that ‘birthed‘ him as an artist, and it has nurtured and inspired him, and provided him with serene solitude and certitude through years of angst and growing pains, yearnings and aspirations.
1983 Born in Heilongjiang, Ke Shan County
2008 Joined the China Artists’ Association at the age of 25, becoming one of the youngest ever members of the Association
2009 Graduated from Haerbin Teacher’s University with a Master’s degree in Art. Studied under Lu Yu Shun
2013 Enrolled in the PhD program at Haerbin Normal University
The artist currently resides in Beijing as a professional artist
2019 Art Plus Shanghai, White Space Art Asia
2019 Invitational Exhibition by Nîmes government, France
2019 The 1st Invitational Exhibition of Young Chinese Artists Works from National Art Schools, Fine Art Museum of Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting, Beijing
2019 The 12th New Prominent of Academy Exhibition, Beijing
2019 Joint Exhibition to Celebrate the Year of the Pig, Beijing
2019 “An Shang Chen” Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Painters, Beijing Yanhuang Art Museum
2019 “Charm of Changan and Silk Road” – 2019 Xi’an International Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Arts, Xi’An
2019 Invitational Exhibition of Academic Chinese Ink Artists, Beijing
2019 5^2 Contemporary Art Exhibition, Beijing
2018 “Chinese Freehand Style” – 2018 China’s National Academies Youth Collection of Chinese Painting, Beijing
2018 The 2nd Chinese Ink Painting Biennale in Hei Long Jiang, Harbin
2018 Somewhere In Time – Joint Exhibition of Eastern and Western Artists, Shanghai
2018 “Xin Fen Ben” – Claborate-style Painting Nomination Exhibition, Beijing
2018 The 11th New Prominent of Academy Exhibition, Beijing
2018 2018 Bo Art Project & Yi Pan Annual Exhibition, Shandong Jinan
2018 Joint Exhibition of Young Chinese Ink Artists, “Fang Hui”, Beijng
2018 The 2nd Invitational Exhibition of Chinese Ink Artists at Yi Yang Lou, Beijing
2018 Invitational Exhibition of Doctors of Fine Arts in China, Nantong, Jiangsu
2018 China Art Forum (Beijing) – We are the 80s, Water Cube Beijing
2018 Art Stage Singapore – White Space Art Asia
2017 Affordable Art Fair Singapore – White Space Art Asia
2017 Affordable Art Fair Singapore – White Space Art Asia
2017 “Ran Qingqiu” – Young Artist Invitational Exhibition, Beijing
2017 Joint Exhibition of PhD in Chinese Ink at Dong Shu Fang, Shandong Qingzhou
2017 Joint Exhibition, “Belt and Road Initiative” Youth Academy of Shandong Art Academy, Shandong Jinan
2017 Singapore Affordable Art Fair April Edition, Singapore F1 Pit Building, White Space Art Asia
2017 Joint Exhibition of Contemporary Young Artists with PhD, Shandong Qingzhou
2017 “New Youth” – Invitational Exhibition of Outstanding Young Artists’ Works, Beijing
2017 Joint Exhibition of Chinese Ink Artists at Beijing Xubai Gallery
2017 Singapore Contemporary Art Show, White Space Art Asia
2017 Joint Exhibition - Year of Rooster, Beijing
2017 Joint Exhibition - Chinese New Year Celebration at Wudangshan, Wudangshan Geological Museum
2016 Joint Exhibition Vipassana - National Excellent Chinese Painting Collection of the Post-80s Generation, Beijing
2016 Art Kaohsiung, White Space Art Asia
2016 The Ninth 2007-2016 College of New Phalanx, 2016 “Beijing” Annual Nomination Show
2016 Art Taipei, White Space Art Asia
2016 The Language of Migration – 1980-2016 Chinese Ink painting chronicles, Wuxi
2016 “Harmony Between the Heaven and Human” – “Save the Earth” Green Crops Exhibition, New York
2016 Joint Exhibition “The Mandate from Heaven is New”, Beijing
2016 The Power of Attention – Ink Painting Works of Young Artists (3rd), Beijing
2016 Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Ink Outdoor Sketch Works from Young Masters
2016 A New Wave of Chinese Ink - Annual Nomination Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Ink Young Artists
2016 A Seven Quatrain of Post 80s - Contemporary Ink and Water Exhibition, Shanghai
Nanjing Art Fair
Art Beijing
2016 Art Republic, Contemporary Young Masters Nomination Exhibition, Beijing
2016 Singapore Affordable Art Fair April Edition, Singapore F1 Pit Building, White Space Art Asia Singapore
2016 Invitational Exhibition of the 2nd Artist Academic Exchange of Chinese Ink Painting, Jinan
2016 8080, Nomination Exhibition of Chinese Young Artists born in the 1980s, Beijing
2015 Singapore Affordable Art Fair November Edition, F1 Pit Building, White Space Art Asia, Singapore
2015 The 6th Beijing International Art Biennale, China, 2015
2015 Joint exhibition INK by White Space Art Asia, Singapore
2015 Joint exhibition Ink Wash on Paper, Beijing
2015 Dream China, Chinese Ink Artists Invitational Exhibition, Rizhao Museum, Shandong Province
2014 Joint exhibition Beauty of Nature, The Youth Academy from China National Academy of Painting, Beijing
2014 “Contemplation”, Huang Hong Tao Solo Exhibition, White Space Art Asia, Singapore
2014 The Times - solo exhibition in Zibo, Shandong
2014 New Prominent of Academy Exhibition, Beijing
2014 Invitational Exhibition of contemporary ink painting artists, Beijing
2014 When Inheriting Meeting Renovating: New Leaf of Art, Invitational Exhibition by CIYAF, Nanjing
2014 The Change, New Ink Painting Invitational Exhibition, The Wu Guanzhong Museum of Art, Wuxi
2014 Chinese Ink Now, China Art Weekly Art Festival, Nantong
2014 The 1st 80s generation Chinese Ink Exhibition, Hangzhou
2013 Panorama – solo exhibition in Qingzhou, Shandong at the Qingzhou Art Gallery
2013 Tomorrow’s Stars – exhibition of up-and-coming young artists, Hangzhou
2013 Chinese Ink Now –contemporary Chinese ink artists exhibition, Hangzhou
2013 Resonance – joint exhibition of 80s generation contemporary Chinese artists organized by White Space Art Asia, Singapore
2013 70.80 – contemporary young artists exhibition, Beijing
2013 A New Page – contemporary art exhibition, Beijing
2013 Fourth Contemporary Chinese Ink Exhibition and Forum, Taipei
2012 Third Gongbi Landscape Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association
2012 Haerbin Biennial Chinese Ink Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association
2012 Selected Fine Arts exhibition organized by the China National Academy and the China Artist’s Association
2012 Thirst - solo exhibition at Songzhuang, Beijing
2012 Televised interview for an art program
2011 Third Jiangnan Cultural Festival Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association. Artwork collected by the Changshu Museum of Fine Arts
2011 National Chinese Ink Art Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association
2011 Seventh China Artists’ Association Chinese Ink Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association
2010 Invited to participate in the exhibition Successor and Innovator: Post 70s Prominent Chinese Ink Painters
2010 Sixteenth Asian Games Art Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association
2010 Received the Outstanding Award at the Eleventh National Art Exhibition (Heilongjiang Province)
2010 Participated in the Third Contemporary Chinese Ink Exhibition and Forum at the Hong Kong Museum of Arts. First 80s generation artist to have participated in two forums.
2008 The Creativity of Youth – exhibition of outstanding students works at the Today Art Museum, Beijing
2008 Heilongjiang Artists’ Association 50th Anniversary Exhibition, awarded Outstanding prize
2008 China Artists Invitational Exhibition, Beijing World Art Museum
2007 Third National Chinese Ink Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association. “Nameless Hills No.1” was collected by the National Museum of China (NAMOC)
2007 Exhibited at the Fourteenth 21CIAA International Art Festival in Qingdao
2007 Youngest participant in the Second Contemporary Chinese Ink Forum, national Museum of China (NAMOC)
2007 National Fine Arts Exhibition organized by the China Artists’ Association, awarded the highest Outstanding Achievement prize
2006 Fourth National Youth Chinese Ink Exhibition organized by the National Museum of China (NAMOC), awarded Silver Prize
2006 China-Korea Cultural Exchange Exhibition, Haerbin
2006 Third Heilongjiang Watercolour Exhibition, awarded Outstanding Achievement prize
2005 Seventh National Watercolour Exhibition held by the China Artists’ Association
2005 Heilongjiang Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition, awarded Silver Prize
2005 Heilongjiang Nature Study Exhibition
2005 First Heilongjiang Chinese Inks Landscape Exhibition, awarded Outstanding Achievement prize
Huang Hong Tao’s Nameless Hills series was born from his emotional attachment to the rolling hills of the Heilongjiang region where he grew up. In this region, one does not find grand and famous mountains and rivers. In fact, there are no real mountains to speak of, just hillocks and mounds that do not possess the elevation to lay claim to a name.
The artist grew up in a poor rural farming village, and his journey to become an artist was not an easy one. This makes the artist’s attachment to this land is all the more understandable.
In keeping with a tradition of Chinese ink painting, Huang Hong Tao’s paintings seem to take in the scenery from an elevated point; in reality there is no point on the ground where the artist could possibly take in the entire scene. The trees are not in direct proportion to the hills. This is in contrast to classic Western traditions where, if an artist stood at the base of a hill, he could not possibly see the hills beyond. The concepts of perspective would have constrained the classic oil painter from portraying the hills beyond. To the Chinese scholar and artist, this does not pose a problem as he has already travelled to and can see with his mind’s eye the hills beyond. In Chinese ink painting, this is ‘seeing the details from a larger perspective’.
There is a dreamlike quality to Huang Hong Tao’s paintings. The Nameless Hills series has been a subject for close to ten years. It is not a specific hill or location but a spiritually sacred imagery for the artist, all the more poignant because it is ‘unnamed’.
The Nameless Hills series is the subject that ‘birthed’ him as an artist, and it has nurtured and inspired him, and provided him with serene solitude and certitude through years of angst and growing pains, yearnings and aspirations. In this land, all things are a possibility.
In many of his paintings, Huang Hong Tao has included a figure that appears to be either a person sitting in meditation or a Buddhist statue. The figure – totally out of proportion to the hills and trees - is part of the dreamy, serene landscape and has its roots in a small, earlier series of meditative paintings he executed.
Art Republik takes a closer look into the inner workings of Huang Hong Tao and his latest series, Unnamed Hills.
Asia Contemporary Show, Hong Kong 2014 showcases Huang Hong Tao in its Press Release.
Nameless Hill Series 3 - A Looking Glass
Nameless Hill Series 3 - At the Edge of the World
Nameless Hill Series 2 No.222
Nameless Hill Series 2 No.221
Nameless Hill Series 2 No.220
Nameless Hills Series 3 - Night to Dawn
Nameless Hills Series 3 - A Tribute to Dali
Riding the Eternal Road
Nameless Hills Series 3 - Paradise of Solitude
Nameless Hills Series 3 - Islands In the Night
Nameless Hills Series 3 - Swift Return
Namelss Hills Series 3 - All the World a Stage
Nameless Hills Series 3 - Across the Waters
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.217
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.213
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.201
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.202
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.156
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.157
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.168
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.181
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.182
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.188
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.52
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.92
Messengers of Peace
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.198
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.150
Nameless Hills Series No.152
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.176
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.207
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.208
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.209
The Solitude of Night
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.52
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.128
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.117
Nameless Hills Series 2 No.120
Nameless Hill Series 2 No.139
