About the Exhibition
A Thousand Blended Notes is a solo exhibition by contemporary artist Shen Zi Yao. It explores the dialectical theme of whether nature inspires art or art inspires nature through the context of Chinese landscape paintings. Nature and artistic expressions are inextricably intertwined with each other in Chinese culture. Despite the passage of time, the bond between the two has never faltered. To accentuate this deep-seated connection, each painting in the exhibition is paired with a Chinese nature poem written by famed poets from various dynasties.
Hailing from Jiangsu, China, Shen continues the legacy of Chinese ink left by celebrated masters of yore. Yet, as an artist of the 21st century, Shen’s evocative compositions and subtle pops of colours give the historical genre an engaging modern spin. This exhibition amalgamates Shen’s dancing contours and introspective nature poems to encapsulate the unity between nature and human emotions through art.
About Shen Zi Yao

Born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province of China, Shen graduated with a Master’s degree and full scholarship from Central Academy of Fine Arts under the tutelage of Professor Yao Mingjing in 2014. Since his graduation, he has been appointed as a teaching assistant at his alma mater.

As a Chinese ink artist, Shen’s brushstrokes capture the enigma of the evergreen and rolling hills. His perceptive sense of poetic abstraction gives his oeuvre the sublimity of all that lies between heaven and earth. Incorporating elements of Western art, such as perspective and lighting, as well as a judicious application of mixed media to a classic Chinese medium, Shen’s artwork is a novel re-imagination of the Chinese landscape genre.