“Art doesn’t provide solutions — it provides perception…Art can change our feelings toward objects, time, and one another.”

In a bright, rectilinear gallery space, where tradition meets innovation, a series of small white and blue porcelain pieces are methodically positioned along the walls, each square form embodying the intangible heritage technique of 'Feng Shui.' Shiny, round, platelike sculptures of various sizes are arranged on plinths across the gallery floor, creating an effect reminiscent of a ceremonial ritual. Each of these sculptures and elements contains a floral blue motif on a white background, a visual representation of the traditional porcelain art they embody. The artworks and the curatorial strategy of this exhibition intentionally foreground a quiet but arresting display of the interplay between inherited tradition and innovative reinterpretation, reflecting the broader curatorial objective to foster critical engagement and cross-temporal dialogue through the spatial arrangement and selection of works.

These porcelain objects are featured in The Fitzrovia Gallery as part of the artist Cheng Linyao's show “Righter than White, Darker than Blue,” curated by Hongqian Zhang. This exhibition acts as the entry point to the curatorial language of the Chinese curator, the founder of ArtFlow Studio. Zhang’s curatorial vision goes beyond merely displaying artworks and strives to integrate the historical frameworks of traditional Chinese arts with the deeply conceptual approach of Western art.

In her curatorial approach, Zhang consistently resists categorisation, instead focusing on the unique characteristics of each artist and their work. For instance, "Metamorph", a show featuring young artists from China and the UK, goes beyond mere exhibition by exploring the rupture of societal norms and cultural codes. Similarly, the "404 Not Found" exhibition delved into digital rupture and glitch aesthetics, further emphasising the disruption of conventional frameworks. Zhang’s curatorial style creates a space for unique exchanges between different perspectives and cultures, making each exhibition not just an event but an ongoing dialogue.

IOAEA sat down with Hongqian Zhang to discuss her prolific curatorial work and her project ArtFlow Studio, to better understand the voice behind these exhibitions. She initiated the project intending to establish a bridge between East Asian art and Western audiences, emphasising care, sustainable collaboration, and authenticity. In person, Zhang speaks with the same passion and frankness that permeates her curatorial narratives. It is apparent that a curator like Zhang strives to create a deeply rooted space for artists to showcase their authentic artistic voices, unconstrained by commercial frameworks and categorisations.

To begin, tell us a bit about your practice. What key moments have made you the curator you are today?

My work as a curator allows me to navigate between cultures. I often work from three questions. How is visual language translated? What narratives might be born from the quieter voices? How might emotion and care shape the making of exhibitions? I have a growing affinity for the in-between. Those unnoticed affective, cultural or material spaces.

I felt upset seeing so many East Asian artists misread, under-recognised, or considered in simplistic terms, such as “foreign” or “global” in the West. Many of them were stripped of their roles as conceptual thinkers or current practitioners, becoming mere cultural icons. The repeated misinterpretation of the work was not simply a curatorial oversight. It was, instead, a problem of structure relating to the institutions, the audience, and translation.

This frustration became a turning point. I came to the understanding that curating could not just be sharing work. Creating a more aware kind of mediation was important. This way, the mediation will serve as an interpreter between languages, traditions, and cultural paradigms. I founded ArtFlow Studio to make exhibitions, residencies and discursive spaces that create context instead of consumption, translation instead of tokenism.

My background in illustration, graphic design, and music events has helped my development as a curator, which is key before I turn fully to curating. After this experience, I learned to think in rhythm, visual logic, and emotional pacing. Today, these inform the organization of my exhibitions. I am always interested in the “in-between,” the quiet affecting spaces that aren’t easily categorised, and I try to maintain that ambiguity in my shows.

As the founder and curator of ArtFlow Studio, what can you tell us about this organisation? What were the key concepts or initial visions that shaped its inception?

I launched an independent curatorial platform called ArtFlow Studio in London. The exhibition production company is not a mere vehicle for the translation of ideas, which often create long-term visibility for artists, but rather for the caring infrastructure for miss­ing practices. 

Our goal is to establish a connection between East Asian visual culture and western audiences through slow attention, contextualisation, and sustained collaboration instead of exoticisation or tokenism. We operate without a permanent space, collaborating with galleries, publications, and educational spaces to maintain flexibility and permeability.

In your role as a curator, you have developed exhibitions, publications and artist development projects to generate new spaces for emerging and under-recognised artists to showcase their practices? Is there a specific project that you feel best embodies the narratives you develop?

The Fitzrovia Gallery display I staged with artist Cheng Linyao, “Righter than White, Darker than Blue,” was one of my hallmark projects. Cheng comes from the porcelain traditions of Jingdezhen that are hundreds of years old. The practice uses the intangible technique called Fen Shui; a technique used for painted blue-and-white glaze that is passed down through generations.

I was impressed by her craftsmanship because it was an art form. The artist combines Chinese ceramics with conceptual, sculptural, and spatial questions to create works that are historical yet speculative. She challenges the perception of porcelain as mainly decorative or functional, with a rich heritage.

This type of practice is often ignored in contemporary Western art contexts.  There are extremely few formal institutions that assist or even recognize artists working with East Asia’s intangible heritage, especially women. I wanted to show her work that would keep the depth and sensitivity, as well as the philosophy of it.

I did not place her ceramics in a contemporary art exhibition but rather within a ceremonial site that promotes stillness, tactile intimacy and embodied memory. The porcelain works were presented not as artefacts, but as living vibrations. To me, curating is not just interpretation – it is resonance. It is about making a space for viewers to meet not objects but presence.

A primary inspiration for establishing ArtFlow is to bridge traditional Chinese arts with the Western world. How do you select artists, and how do you go about creating an exhbition, from idealisation to the opening event?

One of the main reasons behind founding ArtFlow Studio was to strive for an integration of the historical depth of traditional Chinese arts with the conceptual rigour of Western art. I never choose artists based solely on the appearance of their works.  I start with who the artist is—the questions they ask, the life they lead, and what weights their practice. To me, the artist is more important than the artwork in both an intellectual and contextual sense.

Independent thinking is essential. I am drawn toward practices that engage something larger than form or technique, ideas that relate to cultural memory, personal inquiry, or emotional complexity. However, it isn’t just about the artist’s practice that interests me. I am also aware of what audiences will embrace. How will viewers respond to this work? I ask myself. Will it make you think, evoke feelings, or create cultural conversations?

Curating is not about the conclusion but about the question for me.  Every exhibition begins with a key idea that raises questions rather than provides answers. For instance, Field of Clarity was sparked by one simple question: “Does clarity mean truth? After that inquiry, I retuned the exhibition’s spatial rhythm, textual framing, and visual dynamics accordingly.

Every ArtFlow exhibition is curated holistically. I seek artworks that do more than simply “fit” within the theme of an exhibition but respond to it and expand upon it or even challenge it so they can act as a larger system.  Each exhibition is meant to reflect the curatorial insight of ArtFlow Studio, as a platform that listens attentively to their surroundings, builds carefully and incorporates deeper perception.

In our preview conversation, you stated, ”I see art as a river, free and always flowing into the future. Art cannot be shaped in one way; it can be shown in different ways. I want to help artists show their works to society and provide more opportunities for them.“ Can you further develop this line of thought?

This river analogy is inspired by my move from East art system to West art system. Asian ceramics, illustration, or photography and their European counterpart in the same medium often seem antithetical in tone, tempo and intention.  However, the visibility that exists between these two systems is limited; there is an invisible river of cultural and perceptual difference in between.

I view ArtFlow Studio as a bridge that does not aim to erase those distinctions, but rather to translate them for each other. I would like to assist artists in getting their art into the world to be heard, seen, circulated and supported, not just exhibited. Curating is a way of “catching” and carrying a work so it can travel across that river and speak through exhibitions and publications, media and institutional collaboration.

You have mentioned seeing exhibitions as "infrastructures of care" rather than just displays. What does this mean in practice? Can you give us an example?

Exhibitions are more than just an event, but rather a structure that embraces and supports. Care, to me, is not soft or vague — it’s structural. That implies tracking, transparency, and continuity after the exhibition.

In the Echoes Between Us exhibition, I made a conscious decision to slow everything down – dim lighting, very little wall text and a soft rhythm. The show was designed for resonance, not interpretation. Later, I will assist them and support them with press coverage, new collaborations and long-term project development. That’s what infrastructure looks like to me.

You have previously worked with artist Cheng Linyao, a practitioner of the intangible heritage technique 'Fen Shui' blue-and-white porcelain. What initially drew you to her works, and what challenges have you faced when introducing traditional Chinese craftsmanship to Western audiences?

I first discovered Cheng Linyao’s work online — it was the strength in softness that struck me. She reinterprets the blue and white porcelain with a sculptural composition while retaining the traditional quiet aesthetics of Chinese porcelain. I realized she didn’t just have skill. Rather, she was creating a new pottery language through her work.

It was not the work, but the way it would be received in the UK that posed a challenge. Westerners expect functional pottery or decorative pottery. Yet Cheng’s works are conceptual, spatial, and philosophical. Through my curation, the spatial composition and the use of language I tried not to “explain tradition” instead invite sensory and emotional veracity.

Since creating ArtFlow studio, you have collaborated with over 50 artists from the UK, China, and Europe. When you are creating an exhibition, how do you make sure there is a genuine cross-cultural dialogue rather than simply presenting works side by side?

Designing works next to each other does not equal curating across cultures. Building relational structures is curating across cultures. I try to establish dialogues between artists by using themes, pacing of the space, and shared motifs. For example, unless the context has been carefully scaffolding, a fiber artist exploring migration may be paired with a photographer looking at spatial memory.

I also encourage early conversations between artists. These interactions often shape how works are installed. I sometimes consciously allow tension or dissonance within the exhibition. I invite the audience to question: why are these works together?“This is often where resonance starts”

You mention seeing exhibitions as "infrastructures of care" rather than just displays. What does this mean in practice?

I see exhibitions as ongoing rather than short-lived events sometimes. The "infrastructure of care" refers to an undeniable, much-needed system of building support for artists, instead of solely focusing on their visible work.

Just recently, in Art Support Field through Clarity, we had given an Art award to help the growth of a talented young artist. Our current top winner went home with a generous grant and a special invite. Considering it to be a way by which it could value and further work with the construction team, Nothing symbolised that better than a prize.

Care, in this context, isn’t sentimental. It’s structured, quiet, but powerful. Image sharing platforms allow artists to continue to perform even after SmugMugs servers is off.

Art and artists play various roles in the fabric of contemporary society. How do you see artistic practices advancing sustainability and social consciousness?

Art doesn’t provide solutions — it provides perception. When we talk about sustainability, we’re really asking, how do we reconfigure our wants? Art can change our feelings toward objects, time, and one another.

I prefer exhibitions that are light, reusable and do not waste materials. The artists I mostly collaborate with instil sustainability into their process — either through craft, slowness, or intentional limitation.

What can we expect to see next from ArtFlow Studio? Do you have any new areas of interest, upcoming exhibitions, or initiatives you can share with us?

In the future, I am working on projects in London and other cities in Europe around ceramic and textile practices from Asia. In 2026, I will curate a big transnational Asian group exhibition with artists from China, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

I am personally committed to continuing the mission of ArtFlow to promote Asian art, especially through solo shows for emerging women. We’re also thinking about publications, digital showcases, and mobile exhibitions to present ourselves in a lighter and more agile way.

What message or call to action would you like to share with our readers?

I frequently state that art resembles water. It has the ability to take many forms. Artistic practices have changed from the past until today in their use of medium and visual language. The ancient ink painting and experimental digital media appear to flow into one another while taking traces from the ancient to the contemporary. Modern art practices owe their origins to the past in one way or another. They live together in strife, in sync, and sometimes in peace.

Every period has its aesthetic, social anxieties, and its way of looking at things. Artists and artworks are always of their time and place. They are absorbed in the cultural shifts, political climate, and the imagination of their time. I think art is not about categories; it is about change. It is about how we are constantly changing form, meaning, and feeling.

In the near future, I believe we will see even more artwork on offer thanks to advancing technologies.  AI imagery, virtual exhibitions, interactive materials, and other creations that were once limited to imagination will increasingly become feasible solutions. People also want to reconnect with art forms which are more traditional, like ceramics, calligraphy, textile work, etc. I’m very excited to see how artists are now approaching the old materials with a more contemporary sensibility and creating works that wouldn’t have been completed otherwise.

ArtFlow Studio was founded to prove this — art history is not linear but cyclical and alive. In today's fast-changing world, we see ourselves a witnesses and facilitators of the change. We aim to provide artists, especially those who are invisible, unrecognised or misrepresented backgrounds, with platforms that ensure their practices will be seen, heard and remembered. We strive to produce exhibitions that bear witness to their voices as part of a continuing narrative in the history of art and not simply a snapshot in time. A curator’s job must not only be to organise but to care, hold space and grow with artist’s involvement. Collaboration, dialogue, and diversity are key to the success of our projects. ArtFlow exhibitions are always an effort to connect different people, histories and futures with one another. 

I want to urge artists, curators and audiences alike that we don’t need more outcomes—we need more processes. Art should not be something you “achieve” or “consume”; it is something to participate in and allow to evolve. It is not a failure to be complex; it marks the start of knowing more. Let’s make places where we can take our time and be careful. This is the curatorial idealism I believe in and towards which ArtFlow Studio is steadily growing.

Find more about the curator here.

Cover image:

Righter than White, Darker than Blue Exhibition.

All images courtesy of Hongqian Zhang.