The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, is honoured to present, Zhao Hai Tien—Cultivation: 50 Years of Painting, a comprehensive overview of Zhao Hai Tien’s artistic journey as a painter and her boundless explorations as a Hong Kong artist, both locally and internationally. Her work is distinguished by a poignant confluence of abstract expression, spiritual depth, and cross-cultural dialogue. From her early New York-inflected abstractions to the later meditative, calligraphic, and cosmic visual language, she has consistently infused her practice with vitality, reflection, and resilience—an enduring testament to her inquiry into identity, spirituality, and the cosmos.
Born in Shanghai in 1945, Zhao Hai Tien emerged as a pioneering figure in modern Chinese art and was among the few of her generation to train overseas before China’s opening in 1979. She completed her early studies in Shanghai and Hong Kong, before moving to New York, where she earned a BFA from Cooper Union in 1969. Immersed in the dynamic New York art scene of the 1960s, she began experimenting with abstraction, transforming her artistic language in bold and innovative ways. Zhao Hai Tien’s artistic evolution and creative explorations are characterised by a remarkable diversity of media—from airbrush and automotive spray paint on wooden folded screens and acrylic on canvas to calligraphic experiments, large-scale public murals, and oil paintings. Her practice blends technical precision with expressive freedom, deeply informed by spiritual traditions.
Throughout her long career, Zhao Hai Tien’s art has spoken with a dynamic voice—exploring themes of meditation, transcendence, and feminine existence. At once personal and universal, her work invites us to contemplate our own inner landscapes while acknowledging the wider universe, bridging geography, discipline, and spirit with elegance and depth.
Now in her eighties, Hai Tien continues to paint with unwavering dedication, extending her artistic vision into both scientific and spiritual realms. Today, after five decades of artistic cultivation, Zhao Hai Tien stands as an important and influential figure, embodying a generation of Chinese artists who have navigated the intersections of Eastern tradition and Western modernity. As a woman charting her path in the art world of the 1960s–1980s, she has been—and continues to be—deeply inspiring. Her art reimagines abstraction as a vehicle for spiritual inquiry rather than mere aesthetics, and as her practice continues to evolve and resonate, Zhao Hai Tien reminds us that true artistry transcends age.
We extend our gratitude to Zhao Hai Tien and the private lenders who have generously lent their artworks to our exhibition, and thank the Hong Kong University Museum Society for its financial support.