Zhao Yizhou

Zhao Yizhou was born in Anhui Province, China in 1959. Zhao graduated from the Foreign Language Department of Normal College of Henan, China in 1983 followed by Zhengzhou Artist Training College in 1985. He moved to England in 1997. Since 1998 he has been teaching Chinese Calligraphy at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Zhao Yizhou is widely regarded as the finest contemporary Chinese calligrapher in the UK. His unusual combination of tradition and innovation creates a unique vitality and originality which lays bare the principles of shufa (Chinese calligraphy). Viewed in China as one of the most important art forms, shufa combines scholarly tradition, painterly technique and emotional insight. Considered more than mere decoration or ornamentation of words, it expresses the internal and ‘unseen’ life of the artist.

Deeply concerned with the psychological and philosophical potential of shufa, many pieces by Zhao Yizhou challenge the viewer’s perception of what they are seeing. He reveals how words and the way they are written can be a vehicle for meaning and feeling. With his bold forms of expression and dramatic brush-strokes he continues the shufa tradition, but at the same time uses a variety of media including ink, oil and watercolor in an art imbued with a modern consciousness. Zhao Yizhou is very much a contemporary artist, not content simply with following tradition.

He follows, but also challenges, the very essence of the tradition of shufa, forming a belief that although he would like to rebel against it, as tradition never remains in a fixed place at a fixed time, he has no alternative but to be part of it. His calligraphy is therefore a reflection of his practice of shufa as well as the anxiety of tradition and its contradictions.

Recent exhibitions include the much acclaimed, ’Chasing the Unseen’ at the Museum of East Asian Art in 2007. Please use the link, http://www.meaa.org.uk/chasingtheunseen.htm

In addition to his many exhibitions, Zhao’s works have also appeared in a variety of other media including opera and film. He has received many awards for his calligraphy, both in China and abroad. The Queen and Prince Charles are also among the collectors of his art works.