Asia Society Hong Kong Center presents A World Within: The Art and Inspiration of Irene
Chou as the third installment in its “20th Century Chinese Female Artist Series.” One of
the most inventive artists at the forefront of Hong Kong’s New Ink Art Movement, Irene
Chou (1924-2011) had a dynamic career spanning from the 1950s to early 2000s. She was
remarkable for paving new possibilities in Chinese ink painting through a highly original
abstract visual language, and her exploration of modern themes informed by an interest in
metaphysics, science and literature, as well as her personal outlook on life. This exhibition
traces Chou’s artistic trajectory and considers her historical significance in a thematic
survey through the four lenses of “self hood”; “duality”; the motif of “red”; and
“world-making in motion.”