Hao Liang

L'Almanach 26 : Hao Liang

Hao Liang (1983, Chengdu, China)

Born in 1983 in Chengdu, China, Hao Liang lives and works in Beijing. He enrolled in the Institute of Fine Arts of Sichuan in Chongqing in 2002, where he earned his Master’s in 2009, majoring in painting. In his works, he favours painting, washes, and ink on silk, thereby perpetuating the technical legacy of his country. Silk is a support that requires meticulous preparation, unlike paper—which he uses for his drawings—that lends itself to greater artistic spontaneity. An essential body of his work is concerned with temporal perceptions. Unlike some of his Chinese predecessors, who seek to represent time as fleeting and ambiguous, Hao Liang tends to capture the complexity specific to the present moment. The mysterious atmospheres he creates are the result of both the variety of motifs and references elicited and his artistic technique. 

He does this in works such as in Wedding I (2024) and Wedding II (2024), for instance, by breaking free from linear perspective, flattening the foreground and background, and using color variations to modulate the space in which he places his characters. Characterized by contemplative compositions, Hao Liang’s works are imbued with a kind of nostalgia 

They draw upon symbols and themes from both contemporary and ancient literature, but also his knowledge of classical Chinese painting and world cinema. He multiplies artistic references and creates hybrid forms, as can be seen in his two inks on silk, To Watteau — chez Franz (2025) and To Watteau — La Goulue (2025). The titles make explicit reference to Antoine Watteau’s rococo paintings, whose characters appear to inspire the enigmatic man’s suit that Hao Liang depicts. They also reflect the Moulin Rouge posters that Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created for the performances of the dancer whose stage name was “La Goulue.”

These pieces are displayed along with an arrangement of photographs, reproductions of images and sketches also on view in the exhibition. More than a mere catalyst for the artist’s emotional shifts, drawing represents a way of thinking for him, a way of “finding the right presentation format.” The works on paper therefore enhance the interpretation and comprehension of Hao Liang’s artworks.