Hsiao Chin merges the conventions of Eastern and Western art in his lyrical expression paintings, establishing a vital intercultural exchange of creative practices and movements within the art world. Born in Shanghai in 1935, Hsiao moved to Tawain in the late 1940s and began studying art in 1952. Deeply inspired by the works of Western artists like Henri Matisse, Hsiao was fascinated by western art movements that strayed from the Chinese artistic traditions of socialist realism. After establishing the first Chinese abstract painting group in 1955, the Ton Fan Art Group, Hsiao received a scholarship to study art in major European cities to further immerse himself in western art and culture. While abroad in the early 1960s, Hsiao took a deep interest in understanding different spiritualities as a way to process his grief for deceased friends and family. Hsiao’s characteristically minimalist and geometric compositions are visual expressions of his most inner self; the calmly contrasted colors and shapes of his lyrical abstractions reflect the philosophical and spiritual beliefs of Zen. Hsiao’s utilization of traditional Chinese brush painting within the conceptual framework of European and American modernism has broken creative boundaries and encouraged new visual narratives. In the present day, Hsiao lives and works between Milan and Taiwain and has held major solo exhibitions and gained worldwide success.
