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Laura Rathe Fine Art (LRFA) is no stranger to hosting some of the world’s best art exhibits. With two galleries in Houston (River Oaks District and Gallery Row at 2707 Colquitt Street) and one gallery in Dallas’ coveted Design District, Laura Rathe Fine Art is at the forefront of the global art scene. The latest addition to the Houston gallery’s star-studded lineup is a solo exhibit with internationally recognized and acclaimed Beijing-based artist Zhuang Hong Yi.
Zhuang Hong Yi and Laura Rathe connected in 2016, meeting for a riverside lunch in the Netherlands for the start of a beautiful partnership that transcends oceans, languages and cultures.
“I could immediately recognize how kindhearted Laura was and how much genuine passion she had in representing artists at her gallery in Texas — something that was quite rare to see within the gallery world,” Zhuang Hong Yi says. “We agreed to a collaboration and from then on, it has been a success ever since.
“The effort she and her team put into representing their artists is something that I have always appreciated a lot.”
Zhuang Hong Yi’s work is characterized by bold color palettes and floral motifs, which he uses as a universal symbol of prosperity and optimism. While this is his fourth solo exhibition, this will be his first American appearance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Hong Yi’s exhibition will run from October 21 through November 13 at Laura Rathe Fine Art’s gallery in Houston’s River Oaks District shopping center. On November 13, the exhibition will move to LRFA’s Dallas gallery. Prior to the public opening of this can’t-miss exhibition, LRFA will host a private preview dinner at the Houston gallery on October 20 from 5 pm to 8 pm with Hong Yi in attendance.
“This new solo exhibition includes my latest series of flowerbed works that are made through my discovery of various new techniques and the attempt to perfect them,” Hong Yi says. “New patterns, color combinations, flower structures and sizes represent my aspiration to always explore in my artistic journey.
“For this exhibition, there is a special piece entitled ‘A2016-074’ that is used with my latest technique of dripping paint from the flowers.”
Hong Yi says that his goal for this exhibition is to inspire people with the colors and patterns of his iconic flower-themed works, allowing people to take a break from social disarray.
“It is my attempt to display the romantic imagining of beauty meandering amidst falling gentleness,” Hong Yi says. “Life’s beauty is the growing journey through ups and downs. Despite all ongoing news and challenges, flowers will always pop up year after year, providing hope and color when times seem to be despairing.
“We bloom, we shed, we decay, we hibernate and wait for the right light to start the whole process over again.”
The artist says that while we might not all speak the same language, we can all read flowers. It is through this art, floral motif and exhibition that he hopes to connect with people of all cultures and backgrounds.
For more information about Laura Rathe Fine Art, the various gallery locations and all its special exhibitions, go to LauraRathe.com.