The Rags to Riches Story of Acclaimed Painter Zheng Zesheng; See His Works at Today Art Museum, Oct 15-24

The young boy clasped the chunk of chalk, and turned the sidewalk into his canvas. But sadly, he wasn't drawing for fun – instead, he was creating to earn the livelihood that should have been provided to him by more responsible caretakers. Little did he know that those concrete etchings would one day lead him to see the nadirs of both art and commerce; to live in both the rural fringes and a bustling new city; to experience the most lucrative and prestigious of successes along with the bitterest of failures.

This is the rags to riches story of painter Zheng Zesheng, which visitors can experience through his works on display at the Today Art Museum from October 15-24. The official opening, where visitors can see many of the paintings that he completed over the years, will be on October 15. It will be followed by an October 21 musical performance at 8pm, where several of Zheng's musician friends will perform, and then on October 22 at 3pm there will be a collector symposium detailing his artworks centered around ethnic minorities.

Born in the village of Meizhou, Guangdong, in 1973, young Zheng was brutally kidnapped from his family, and the age of six, forced into panhandling. He wound up homeless, drawing passersby with a stub of chalk on the sidewalk. According to a biography released by the exhibit's organizers, one man took pity on the forlorn boy and handed him a RMB 10 note, leading Zheng to "accurately paint the face of that man who touched him based on his memories – a man with eagle nose and the beard of Afanti." On another occasion Zheng snuck onto a bus to make his way home, scrawling a portrait of the ticket vendor that tried to kick him off, moving that employee deeply enough to allow him to remain onboard.

When he finally made it home, Zheng was dismayed to learn that his father had died only a short time prior his arrival. He drew a pair of teary eyes in chalk on his father's tombstone, and soon after enrolled in elementary school, scoring well on his test but falling a few meager marks from being accepted into the kind of quality institution he'd hoped for, instead being sent to Chengde Middle School where teachers punished with aplomb and prompted him to abandon his studies, choosing instead to doodle in his notebook. By 1988 he had dropped out of school and began selling cassette tapes on the streets once again.

Thankfully, Zheng eventually reconnected with his sister, who had married a prosperous businessman from Hong Kong that owned a dying and printing mill, which eventually granted him the means, in 1993, to open his own business, a clothing store. He would later run a profitable movie rental shop, all the while painting in his spare time. His biography says that in August of that year Zheng "picked up a brush, and began making ink paintings. At that time, he thought painting must be easy, none other than a release of one’s soul, in other words, paint what is in one’s mind and what one has learned from his experiences. So, it is unnecessarily to pay attention to painting techniques and theory, this is also the reason he never wanted to “learn” how to paint." During that time he completed his Lotus and Banana Leaves paintings, among others. His bio says that "by 1995, he created the ink painting series of figures, The Classics of Mountains and Three Friends, the figures are depicted in bizarre and deadpan expressions, whose overall impression appeared lonesome and dignified."

His entrepreneurial passions were even more apparent at this time, and by 1996 he had opened the largest supermarket in Shenzhen. However, it failed to compete with the subsequently opened French chain Carrefour. He continued painting and starting other business ventures – an electronics market, a luxury hotel – with greater degrees of success, leading to him being awarded the “Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs in Shenzhen.” Then, more turmoil: a fire broke out at one of his hotels, leaving him with additional stress and strain.

Following the fire, Zheng decided to immigrate to Canada. While there, he began working on abstract paintings like his The Years Passed and Barren Universe, Feeling the Breeze With a Thought, and other abstract works. Before long he started experimenting with oil paintings, sold his businesses and traveled to Tibet, Yunnan, and other far-flung locales, painting his impressions of the ethnic minorities that crossed his path and inspired him all the while.

Following many more adventures and travels across China, Zheng was introduced by happenstance to the the head of Guangdong Artists Association, former director of Guangdong Art Museum Luo Yiping and other prominent members of the art community. Zheng's bio describes that upon seeing his vibrantly colorful, boldly abstract paintings, Luo "used the term 'shock' ... Everyone was surprised that someone who has never received an art education would make such works. Luo Yiping said, 'Zesheng, you should hold a solo exhibition.'"

Since then, Zheng has created a number of successful works and partaken in several well received exhibits, as well as opening his own Zexin Art Studio in Beijing this year. His showing at the Today Art Museum will include a vast array of his works, and serves as a triumphant feat for a man who has toiled with more than his fair share of artistic accolades.

Photos courtesy of the curators