The first solo exhibition in Europe, "Lou Zhenggang Shizen (Nature)," will be held at Almine Rech London from Tuesday, April 22, to Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Lou Zhenggang Shizen (Nature)
Almine Rech London
Address: Grosvenor Hill, Broadbent House, W1K 3JH London UK Google Map
Exhibition period: Thursday, April 22 — Sunday, May 24
Opening on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 from 6 to 8 pm
https://www.alminerech.com/exhibitions/11024-lou-zhenggang-shizen
A celebrated figure in China, her country of birth, as well as in Japan, where she has lived and worked for over three decades, Lou Zhenggang’s art has been avidly collected by devoted Asian collectors. Her works have commanded strong demand in both the primary market and at auctions held by China Guardian and Poly, China’s two largest auction houses. Until now, however, her work has remained largely unseen outside of Asia.
Born in 1966 in Heilongjiang Province, China, Lou was a child prodigy who quickly mastered the art of Chinese calligraphy under her father’s guidance. Her extraordinary talent allowed her to surpass her masters at a remarkably young age.
In 1986, Lou moved to Japan, where she held numerous successful exhibitions. During the early 1990s, she spent time in New York, immersing herself in contemporary Western art before returning to Japan at the end of the decade. She then withdrew from public life entirely, devoting herself obsessively to painting—night after night, in complete solitude. This period of intense focus and isolation became a catalyst for an extraordinary creative outpouring. Lou developed a visual language and technique that are entirely her own, pushing the boundaries of her medium with an unwavering dedication to evolution and refinement.
Since 2018, she has worked in a large studio in Izu, overlooking Sagami Bay, a setting that provides the perfect backdrop for her relentless artistic pursuit.
The Exhibition
The Shizen exhibition at Almine Rech London features twenty-one paintings created between 2018 and 2023. These recent works, while undeniably contemporary, possess a timeless quality. The exhibition includes both monochromatic works—rendered in infinite shades of black and white—and paintings infused with color. Whether viewed up close or from a distance, each work possesses a staggering beauty, regardless of its scale.
'Shizen' was curated by Almine Rech and Simon de Pury.
The Essence of Shizen
Shizen, the Japanese word for nature, also conveys meanings of human nature and spontaneity. Lou Zhenggang’s paintings, though abstract, are deeply personal—expressions of her innermost emotions—yet they evoke the raw force of nature. Her work balances the unrestrained freedom of spontaneous brushwork with the rigorous discipline of a master calligrapher, honed over years of devoted practice.
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A comment from Simon de Pury, the curator of Lou Zhenggang Shizen (Nature), a solo exhibition by Lou Zhenggang, which will be held at Almine Rech London starting Tuesday, April 22, 2025.