Hong’s oeuvre consists predominantly of black and white or monochromatic paintings with hints of colour embedded into thick layers of ink and pigment. Stroke by stroke, the pigments are applied in flowing layers, resulting in an impasto-like build-up of ink. The artist derives inspiration primarily from the concepts of Wu Ji ‘the limitless void’ and the I Ching, projecting ideas of Yin and Yang, stillness and movement, as well as balance in his work. Stemming from the artist’s deep love of the line and understanding of its essential role in Chinese expression, the resulting work is a tribute and contemporary reinvention of honoured Chinese ink painting traditions.
He merges Eastern tradition and Western techniques in his paintings, often putting together Chinese characters that have no specific meaning.
