October 1, 2007
Dinner with Nancy Chu Woo
By Denise Tong
Considered one of Hong Kong’s most prominent artists, Nancy Chu Woo’s current exhibition—a retrospective of works from throughout her career, which has spanned over three decades—reflects the journey of a painter who has distinguished herself with her seamless blending of Eastern and Western techniques and materials.
The show opened in Hong Kong in September; it will be shown at The Parliament House in Ottawa, Canada on October 15 and will be in the Joseph Carrier Gallery in Toronto from October 17–22.
“All of my exhibitions have reflected the various stages of my life,” says Woo. “I learn from each show and then go forward with the next paintings. But artists don’t do work for exhibitions alone; the creative mind is a non-stop system. When you think, when you see, when you feel…everything can become art.”
This view—that art is not a hobby but a lifestyle—makes perfect sense for a woman who has always known that her life’s path would be a creative one.
As a girl in Hong Kong, Woo began honing her traditional Chinese brush and ink skills under the tutelage of Lingnan masters Zhao Shao’ang and Yang Shan-Shen. She was exposed to Western art when she came to the U.S. to further her education, expanding her repertoire while earning a B.F.A. at Cornell University and an M.F.A. at Columbia University.
Woo returned to Hong Kong and began to put her many years of training to work. “Fine art is an unpromising business,” she notes. ”You must work very hard, single-mindedly, until you feel happy about your endeavor. You also have to be honest when expressing something because the creation betrays you as a person.”
With that in mind, she began to exhibit in the 1970s and eventually developed what is now her trademark technique of using gouache, Chinese ink, and rice paper. Frequently depicting nature, fruits and vegetables, and the human form, she has become noted for her brilliant colors, smoothly flowing lines, and sensuous shapes.
Lauded by numerous art historians, Woo has exhibited both in her homeland and in various parts of the globe including Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States. Her work hangs in museums including the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, as well as in private collections in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia.
She has also taught art at many points of her career, lending her expertise to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Arts Centre. But despite her teaching experience, Woo remains as dedicated an art student as ever, taking lessons from everything around her. “Life experience is a good art teacher because art reflects life,” she says simply.
When she’s not working in her studio, Woo is constantly on the move, regularly attending seminars and traveling everywhere imaginable. “Traveling makes one see and feel things differently,” she explains. “Visiting museums all over the world promotes spiritual growth.”
As for the future? “Artists never truly ‘retire,’” she muses. “Their minds are always on the alert to create.”
Pictured: “Notice” by Nancy Chu Woo. Photo courtesy Nancy Chu Woo.
