he
traditions of Chinese art yet makes a uniqely contemporary and original
statement. Please scroll down tto
read more about Hou Rong and view more of his powerful and dynamic work.
Hou Rong is a native
of Beijing, China. He is a Graduate of the Sculpture department of
the Xian Fine Arts Academy, studied further at the Shanxi Provincial Sculpture
Research Institute and received the Master of Fine Arts from Towson State
University in Maryland in 1996. His masterful renditions in the ancient
Qin dynasty style reflects his extensive work at the famous Qin Terra Cotta
Museum in Xian and he is responsible for the design and construction of
monumental and 
indoor
sculptures in China and the US. In addition to his work at the Terra
cotta Museum, Hou Rong has been responsible for many large scale installations
throughout China and participated in the design and construction of the
Mao Zedong Memorial in Tiananmen Square.
Hou Rong's works have been exhibited at the Asia Art Center of Towson State University, The Columbia Art Center of Maryland, Howard College and at Eastern Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. His monumental Bronze sculpture, "Zhonghua" was on view near Chicago's Navy Pier as part of the 1998 annual Pier Walk sculpture exhibition, now the country's premier sculpture show, and is currently installed at the North Shore Sculpture Park in Skokie, Illinois .
A show of recent work at The College
of Lake County in Grayslake Illinois appeared in September, 1998.
The works in this exhibition were sculptures and prototypes for large scale
outdoor sculptures inspired by the abstract beauty, grace and strength
of Chinese calligraphy, an art form with it's own ancient history. 
Calligraphy
has long been the basis of Chinese culture. The character for calligraphy
is "shu fa" or book method which illustrates Chinese philosophy
towards education. calligraphy has always been drawn, inscribed or painted
and now it is made three dimensional as Hou Rong incorporates and reinterprets
the character as sculpture.
China's cultural heritage has always
influenced the developement of it's architecture and sculpture which is
seperate and unique from Western forms. Yet, with the beginning of the new
millenium, China's economy is developing with the influence of the West.
The architecture of it's cities is becoming more modern and this architecture
calls for modern sculpture. 
Ancient
Chinese sculptures do not always harmonize well with these environments.
What type of sculpture would be suitable for a people not wanting to turn
their backs on more than five thousand years of cultural history, and at
the same time wanting to embrace western representations of abstract sculpture? 
Through
his sculpture Hou Rong offers an answer. He has created his own unique
art form ... neither Chinese or Western, neither ancient or modern but
rather a synthesis of both. The
Art
Collector's Quarterly is proud to represent this important young artist.