" I see my work in a simple environment. I feel we live in a time of extreme disintegration and ideally I would like my work to be a force for the re-integration of man into the rhythm of life."
Michael Chow (born: Zhou Yinghua) was born in 1939. He was born into a famous creative family. His father, Zhou Xinfang, wasregarded as a National treasure was seen as the Grandfather of the Beijing Opera and the he was the founder of the Qi School. As you mayexpect Michael had dreams of following in his father's footsteps. However that was not to be his path of creativity.
Events in China's revolution of the post world war two, ensured Michael was to be uprooted from his home country and he found himself secondedin the UK in 1952. He would never see his father again. His passion to create remained strong and it was only a year after his arrival in the UKthat Michael became inspired by a painting that he had spotted in aLondon Art magazine.
That painting was by by Salvador Dali, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans, (Premonition of Civil War), 1936, which must have triggered deep seated memories of the changing events in China. This painting stimulated him to start painting seriously and enhanced his inner need to express himself, a need that every creative has to express themselves within a visual art form. This inner need took a firm hold on him and he decided to pursue it with energy and a passion.
It was in 1956 that he applied (and was enrolled) at London's St Martin's School of Art. A few years later he exhibited in his first exhibition at the New Vision Centre Gallery only two years after studying at St Martin's and a brief spell studying architecture at Hammersmith. There followed a number of shows in various spaces in London.
The artist began to know and socialise with the young talented contemporaries that populated London in that epoch. These included the likes of Peter Blake, Pauline Boty, Richard Lin, Richard Smith and some of the leading figures in the art scene, which at the time included Victor Waddington founded the Waddington Custot Gallery in 1958. Michael had his first exhibition for many years (November 2022) and was once again at Waddington Custot Gallery. It was where I had the great pleasure to meet him on the opening night. Michael told me that he experimented with what became known as his 'pour' paintings in the early days of abstraction. These were monotones of blue and blacks using acrylic pigments.
