30/08/2026
Composed from thousands of hand-folded and painted pieces of rice paper, the works shift in colour, depth and atmosphere as the viewer moves around them. They are paintings that behave like sculptures, and sculptures activated by light.
Born in Sichuan in 1962, Zhuang studied at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute before moving to the Netherlands in 1992 and continuing his education at the Minerva Art Academy. His practice has developed between China and Europe, bringing traditional Chinese materials and philosophies into dialogue with the colour and formal experimentation of Western abstraction.
At the centre of his work is the flower: a symbol of prosperity, renewal, beauty and impermanence across cultures. Yet Zhuang rarely depicts a botanical specimen. Each folded flower becomes a unit within a larger field. Repetition becomes rhythm; rhythm becomes landscape.
The fold is Zhuang’s organising principle: a modest gesture through which paper becomes volume, colour becomes movement and the image becomes an event. Fragile material takes on an architectural presence. A flower becomes a field. A surface appears to breathe.
“Everywhere around the world, flowers represent peace, happiness and prosperity. We might not all speak the same language, but we can all read flowers." - Zhuang Hong-yi
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