Tsz Hin Cheung

Compared to most people in Hong Kong, Cheung Tsz Hin had an unusual childhood. He grew up in the countryside, surrounded by the hills and lakes of the New Territories, with wild foliage as the backdrop of his daily life. These rural landscapes have become a recurrent focus in his paintings as he contemplates the connections between nature, the present and past experiences.

Becoming an artist wasn’t a lifelong dream; Cheung excelled in science in high school and went on to major in business at university. Indeed, his first encounter with art only occurred when he signed up for a painting course during the summer holidays, before he began his final year at college. 

Picking up the paintbrush changed his life. Cheung finds meaning in expressing his observations of everyday objects and events through his trademark muted mustard-yellow palette. After studying fine arts as a minor subject at The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2010, he went on to receive a master of fine arts degree in Taipei in 2014. Now after a string of solo and group exhibitions in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Iceland, Cheung has garnered popular attention from collectors around the world.  

Cheung’s latest body of work, which put him on our Artists to Watch list earlier this year, blurs reality and memory. During the pandemic, he spent most of his time on his rooftop, which doubles as his studio. Observing his potted plants, he was struck by the way colours and shapes would morph as he opened and closed his eyes. Finding it impossible to grasp their true colours, he projects the images in his mind on to his canvases, layering pigment and brushstrokes to depict the details he remembers. 

After taking a short break to reflect on his artistic language, Cheung is currently exploring opportunities to exhibit overseas. He wants to engage in cultural dialogues with people around the world through his work as well as doing his part in contributing to Hong Kong’s creative community.