In 2010, I held my first exhibition titled “Initial Release” at the Baiyun International Convention Center in Guangzhou. It marked a significant milestone in my life as my paintings were introduced to the public for the first time, attracting considerable media attention. The three major newspapers in Guangzhou, namely Southern Metropolis Daily, Yangcheng Evening News, and Southern Daily, all provided continuous coverage and commentary on the event.
The Southern Metropolis Daily published two articles, the first titled “His Characterization Reveals an Essayistic Flavour—From Banking Executive to Freelance Art Worker, Cheung Chi Wai Depicts the Bleak Lives of the Underclass,” and the second titled “‘Citizen Artist’ Debuts New Works.” Cheung Chi Wai is the first and only artist to be acclaimed as a “Citizen Artist” by major media.
The review article in Yangcheng Evening News titled “The Artistic World of Cheung Chi Wai” notes: Cheung Chi Wai’s paintings make viewers perceive the vicissitudes of history and invite deep reflection. His works mysteriously blend rationality with emotion, containing profound content akin to celestial scripts, exhibiting a lofty, vast, and expansive vision. These paintings distill characters’ personalities and destinies from the depths of his soul, even finding transcendence in tragedy. Some, who believe themselves to be in a realm of happiness and sunlight, have never truly empathized with those suffering in hellish conditions. Cheung Chi Wai’s paintings emit a powerful outcry against the suffering of life.
Southern Daily has written a detailed review of over 2000 words titled “An Executive’s Passion for Calligraphy and Painting.”
Between 2010 and 2015, I held three solo exhibitions at the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles Art Gallery, the Société Générale branch in Guangzhou, and the Taikoo Warehouse in Guangzhou. I was also invited to participate in the 41st World Expo in Shanghai in 2010, which featured a joint exhibition of one hundred painters.
In August 2015, I was invited to give a specialized lecture on “Art Appreciation, Investment, and Collection” to the graduate students of the Art class at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.
