With his paintings featuring predominately monochromatic landscapes with huge expanses of unpainted space, Koon Wai-bong stands out as an artist dwelling in academia with a strong literati sentiment among contemporary ink painters in Hong Kong.

Now a lecturer at the Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, his work is widely collected by private and public institutions.

Abbreviated yet meticulous, Koon's work depicts the beauty and overwhelming power of nature. For instance, he conveys a vivid image of pine trees through a few applications of brush lines, and for the rocks, only uses a light dabbing of texture strokes.

Immersed in the tradition of ink and brush, he pushes the boundaries of traditional Chinese ink painting and has an open mind to artistic media and notions from various cultures. Drawing inspiration from the Museum of East Asian Art's collections, Koon has created new work that represents attractive aesthetic notions, mixing Chinese mediums with Western artistic expression.

Similar to looking at a roll of film through a carousel, visitors can get a profound understanding of nature's beauty through his work.

Date: until June 30

Venue: The Museum of East Asian Art

Website: meaa.org.uk

(China Daily 04/05/2013 page31)