Un Cheng’s (b. 1995, Hong Kong) paintings invite viewers into intimate encounters with her psychological landscapes and personal reflections on urban life. Drawing inspiration from careful observations of quotidian life, fleeting exchanges with strangers, and quiet internal dialogues with her surroundings, her works function as a visual diary of her unique perspective on the city and its people. Through visceral compositions, Cheng reveals a deep yearning for intimacy and connection within an isolating metropolis.

Cheng graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts of Hong Kong Baptist University in 2017. Her works will be exhibited in “Painting Itself” touring Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and The Australian National University Drill Hall Gallery in Canberra in 2026. Now, and Then? is Cheng’s first artist monograph, encompassing works from 2017 to 2025.

Can you tell us about your background and how you started your artistic journey?

I graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2017. Shortly after my graduation, I collaborated with different galleries through group exhibitions. In 2018, I participated in a one-month long artist residency in Iceland, and in 2020, I took part in Blindspot Gallery’s summer artist residency program, after which I had my inaugural solo exhibition with the gallery. This marked the beginning of my artistic journey, which has become more comprehensive since then. 

What are the main themes or concepts you explore in your work?

My paintings invite audiences into an intimate encounter of my psychological landscapes and personal lens on the urban life I experience. The works mirror my observations of quotidian living in Hong Kong, the fleeting conversations I make with strangers, and the internal dialogues I have with my surroundings. The paintings function as a visual diary of my angle on the city and its people, carrying an ephemeral photographic quality. I morph my sentiments into my compositions, unveiling the heartfelt desire for intimacy and connection in an isolating metropolis.

How has your artistic style evolved over time?

My early works (2017-2019) primarily exhibited inner emotional expressions, featuring landscapes as a recurring subject matter. Rendered in candy-colored pastel palettes, these paintings often incorporated textual elements as semi-diaristic notations. At that time, I favored painting large-scale, populated landscapes with motifs—trains, boats, and airplanes—symbolizing the indirect connection between humans and nature. A deliberate absence of human figures reflected a sense of social detachment. In The Flowing Boat (2017), I wrote in its caption that “The ship is my inner world. Sometimes I flee from it but I return to the boat instantly, lingering repeatedly.” During my solo trip in Iceland in 2018, as part of my residency, I captured snow-blanketed, desolate streets and created a self-portrait, capturing a birthday spent alone.

Between 2020 and 2023, I started to focus more on observing external environments. Photography became my daily tool for capturing the streets, which in turn became the compositional foundations for my paintings. These works documented people and happenings in urban communities, changes in the environment, and interactions and dialogues I have with neighborhood personalities. During that period, I used brighter, more vibrant tones to depict complex sentiments, often incorporating striking contrasts with fluorescent hues. I would wield various tools and methods, such as scraping, brushing, grinding, and splashing, and incorporate mineral pigments and stickers, using implements beyond the mere paintbrush. 

My paintings oscillate between abstraction and realism, depicting what I observe around me. My works completed in 2020 capture Hong Kong’s daily life amid social movements. In 2021, my works evolved into focusing on stories in Sham Shui Po’s neighborhoods during the pandemic. By the post-pandemic year of 2023, amidst economic uncertainty, I portrayed objects discarded in corners, taking them as metaphors for society’s transformations under invisible pressures.

My recent works have moved from observing external shifts towards encapsulating personal life experiences and reflections. They carry a consistency in color and tones. This inward turn in my works is accompanied by a more refined and mature approach to brushwork, composition, and themes that comes with experience as a painter. Moving away from vibrant colors, I now primarily use monochromatic tones to create a visceral and psychological ambience.

Can you describe a recent project or artwork that you are particularly proud of? 

I’m presenting my solo exhibition in Blindspot Gallery from 2 December 2025 to 31 January 2026. After nearly a decade of painting, I still hesitate to call myself a mature painter—yet these ten years of “back and forth” between materials, methods, and styles have led me to where I am. The works in this exhibition are sincere and intimate. I no longer shroud raw emotions in candy-colored hues. Instead, the works are more like a form of self-dialogue. A series of new small works in the exhibition brim with stories: they function as visual diaries that explore intimacy and separation. Drunk Dawn, Keys Gone (2025) and What did I puke? No Clue (2025) depict states of emotional incontinence, while Boba (2025) and Turned Out Like Skittles (2025) hint at relationships that are beyond repair. Large and medium-sized paintings in the exhibition portray landscapes, while other works feature indoor and outdoor still lifes, serving as a transition. Together, I believe this body of work represents a balanced and significant progression in the evolution of my artistic practice. 

What do you hope people take away from your art when they experience it? 

As a painter, I always paint from my personal perspective, brimmed with emotions and thoughts. Sometimes I cannot clearly articulate what I want to convey. For me, painting is a way to document life as it unfolds. But once a piece is completed, it will create its own space for others to think and to imagine. Everyone brings their own understanding and feelings into seeing a work, shaped by their own experiences. If they find a resonance there—that would be good enough for me.

Text & photo courtesy of Un Cheng and Blindspot Gallery

Website: https://www.ununcheng.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ah_uncheng/