蕭勤

Drawing artistic nourishment from his study of traditional Chinese culture and Eastern philosophies, he was capable of understanding and capturing the complex dialects between the void and the solid, strength and weakness. Freely transforming them into his abstract visual language, Hsiao showed great ambition to develop his own style of abstract painting that emphasized the dichotomous nature of the world, which would be at once distinguishable from, yet reflective of, Western abstract art at that time. 

Having lived and worked abroad for 60 years, Hsiao successfully integrated his extensive studies of Western aesthetics and Eastern philosophies, as well as his interest in space science, in his artistic creation. Through self-discovery and a spiritual quest for transcendence, Hsiao’s creative process is rooted in his perpetual exploration of the deepest meanings in man’s spiritual world. With an endless adventure of abstract art and self-reflection, Hsiao has pursued the ideal realm of “Nature and Man in One” greatly beyond the boundaries of life and death.

In 1955, with a group of artists who shared his aesthetic vision, Hsiao Chin co-founded the Ton Fang Art Group, the first post-war Chinese modern art group. The group blended techniques from traditional Eastern art with Western modernism, while promoting Chinese modern art overseas. In 1956, Hsiao embarked on a series of travels in America and Europe, moving first to Madrid and finally settling in Milan, where he has lived for over half a century. In 1961, Hsiao Chin co-founded the Punto International Art Movement, the first ever international avant-garde art movement initiated by an Asian artist with the aim of promoting Oriental philosophy of “calm observation”.