Alisan Fine Arts Makes Frieze Masters Debut With Fong Chung-Ray Spotlight Presentation
At Frieze Masters, Alisan Fine Arts from Hong Kong presented a solo exhibition of Fong Chung-Ray, marking the gallery's first appearance at the London event. This display, part of the Spotlight section dedicated to global modernism, included early ink works from the 1950s and '60s, acrylic paintings from the 1970s, and a mixed-media canvas from 1998 that features a collaged Heart Sutra. Daphne King, the Global Director, emphasized the importance of showcasing the 92-year-old artist's oeuvre, which remains underappreciated despite being part of significant collections. Fong, who crafted his own brush from palm leaves, took a hiatus from painting after his wife's passing before turning to Buddhism. Alisan, established 45 years ago, expanded to New York three years back, with King aspiring for greater recognition of Chinese contemporary art.
Key facts
- Alisan Fine Arts made its Frieze Masters debut with a solo presentation of Fong Chung-Ray in the Spotlight section
- The gallery is marking its 45th anniversary year and opened a New York space three years ago
- Fong Chung-Ray, aged 92, has been represented by Alisan Fine Arts only since last year
- His work is held by the Ashmolean in Oxford, the Centre Pompidou and Musée Cernuschi in Paris, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- The booth traced his practice from 1950s–60s ink on rice paper to acrylic on canvas after his 1970s move to America and a 1998 mixed-media work with a collaged Heart Sutra
- Fong made his own brushes from palm leaves rather than conventional materials
- After his wife died in a car accident in which he was driving, he paused painting and later turned to Buddhism
- Tate Modern will open an ink exhibition in April 2027 with six artists, two of them represented by Alisan, and the Ashmolean plans a contemporary ink show for March
Entities
Artists
- Fong Chung-Ray
- Daphne King
- Yichun Huang
- Lucy Liu
- Jeff Koons
Institutions
- Alisan Fine Arts
- Frieze Masters
- Ashmolean Museum
- Centre Pompidou
- Musée Cernuschi
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Tate Modern
- British Museum
- Asia Week
- FAD Magazine
Locations
- Hong Kong
- China
- Taiwan
- United States
- New York
- London
- United Kingdom
- Oxford
- Paris
- France
- Los Angeles
- The Regents Park