Lives and works in New York, NY
Emily Cheng is a prominent figure among contemporary Chinese-American female artists. Her work, combining semiotics and visual imagery, portrays and constructs spiritual connections between humanity, nature, and the cosmos, embodying her pursuit of human origins and the essence of the universe. Her artworks are characterized by their simplicity and abstraction, vibrant and luminous colors. Arrangements of points, lines, and various geometric shapes have become her signature, with compositions that exude order through meticulous rationality. Color layouts and variations create a sense of temporal depth and spatial breadth. The artworks pulsate with the dynamism of celestial bodies, revealing a grand serenity. Through the art’s use of negative space and color tones, we sense an aura of Eastern aesthetics. Gazing at her works, we experience childlike joy, comfort, and spiritual strength.
Born and raised in the United States, Emily received a systematic education here, while her Chinese heritage endowed her with a rich background in Eastern culture and philosophy. This unique upbringing has kept her intimately familiar with both Eastern and Western artistic systems while maintaining a certain distance, resulting in a style that seamlessly blends the two.
Exhibitions at VillageOneArt
2023 — Intercodex (solo), curated by Zoe Zhang, September 7 – October 28, 2023
News
2023 — Emily Cheng Featured on Artsy’s Viewing Room · Emily Cheng to Join the 14th Annual Shanghai Biennale
Education
1977–79 — New York Studio School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture, New York, New York
1975 — B.F.A. Painting, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island
Awards
2010 — Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
1996 — New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship
1995 — Yaddo Fellowship
1982–1983 — National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 — “Opening the Egg,” Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2020 — “Charting Sacred Territories,” Palais Lichtenstein, Feldkirch, Austria
2015 — “RoundSky,” Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
2011 — “Charting Sacred Territories,” MOCA Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
2010 — “Emily Cheng: Circle of Time,” Louis Vuitton Maison, Kowloon, Hong Kong
1997 — Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Philippines
1996 — “Configured: Paintings by Emily Cheng,” Hanart T.Z. Gallery, Hong Kong; catalog essay by Lilly Wei & Tsong Zung Chang
1994 — “Enigmatic Puzzles: A Melding of East and West,” Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, curated by Elaine King
1989 — The Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 — Art Basel, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong
2023 — Cosmos Cinema, Shanghai Biennale, Power Station, China
2020 — Physics, Hubei Triennial, Hubei Museum of Art, China
2019 — B.A.T. State III, Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum, Long Beach, CA
2017 — Art Basel Hong Kong, Hanart Gallery, Hong Kong
2010 — Towards Transculturalism, Museum of Chinese in America, New York, NY, curated by Qian Zhijian, catalog
2009 — “Metaphors of Un/Real, Animamix Biennial 2009–2010,” Museum of Contemporary Art – Shanghai, Shanghai, China
2008 — “Farewell to Post Colonialism, Guangzhou Triennial,” Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China
2001 — “China Without Borders,” Sotheby’s, New York, NY
2000 — “What Goes Around,” Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
1998 — “Urban Encounters,” New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY
1994 — “The Computer in the Studio,” De Cordova Museum and the Computer Museum, Boston, MA
1989 — “100 Drawings By Women,” Blum Helman Gallery, Hillwood Art Gallery, New York, catalog
Collections
Los Angeles County Museum of Art · the Bronx Museum · Taipei Contemporary Art Museum · the Metropolitan Museum of Manila · Ayala Museum, Philippines · Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati · National Academy of Arts, United States · American Academy of Arts and Letters · the Museum of Modern Art in Cartona · U.S. Embassy in China · Chai Wan Subway Station, Hong Kong
For inquiries regarding available works by Emily Cheng, please contact info@villageoneart.com.