Created in Song Zhuang Village, my favorite painting features a tiger – a great creature of awe and primeval strength that exudes an Oriental flavour and character and is a throwback to the great lithographs of the Han Dynasty. I very much want to include this painting in my collection, put it above the mantelpiece and let it be accompanied by the crackling of fire logs, while the tiger powerfully runs on dirt paths creating echoes in the mountains of my imagination. (collected by Wei Li Gang)

This portrayal of a man in his blue-outlined jacket smoking a cigarette is composed of a series of extremely fine strokes and bolder ones that make all the actors – man, cigarette, smoke – come alive in this extremely evocative picture. One can even sense the movement of the wisps of smoke winding up into the sky, reminiscent of ancient Chinese calligraphy that leave traces in your heart long after they are gone. Chloe is very fond of strong robust coffee that reminds one of Chinese herbal medicine. She also likes to take a few puffs under the big wrought iron hanging lamp and let those worldly thoughts dissipate into the winds. (private collection)

We get a glimpse of the deepest recesses of Chloe’s mind where maelstrom of thoughts meets subliminal energies, under the truculent gaze of a fierce looking stone lion. (private collection)

The male portrait, done with sprayed paint, reminds one of a mystic, fading and elusive. Spray paint as a medium depends on swiftness and control, for it stands no correction. To have achieved such precision and captured the spirit of its subject demonstrates mastery of both the spray-ink technique and knowledge of the human form.

The dark patches combine to create a rock solid image of man that has known the ups and downs of life. The painting is made up of interweaving and incisive strokes. The paint that is thrown in the middle conveys a sense of mystery and underlying vigor that pervades the entire painting.

Chloe Ho is fascinated by the portrayal of dream-like states. An ink painting of what, among other things, may seem a female body has the complex evocation of gnarled primeval branches and antique rusted metal. The texture of rock and metal jar like the clanging of swords and spears in a Jackson Pollock splashed paint symphony. And yet, from a distance, it has the serenity of a giant naturally-sculptured Taihu rock.

Coming from a distinguished family and Eurasian by birth, Chloe Ho’s fine facial features belie her ability to pour out torrents of passion when she throws paints over a canvas and put strong, daring touches on it. Her razor-sharp portrayal of characters carries a depth and meaning that are far greater than the sum of the parts. I simply applaud such great skills and virtuosity. When she was invited to Wei Li Gang studios in Beijing in the winter of 2013 the spectacle of her moving the long-handled brush with such energy and supreme control, producing masterpiece after masterpiece, was simply stunning. I was totally awestruck by such a divine performance.

Wei Li Gang
Spring, 2014, Song Zhuang