The Light Between the Leaves: An Homage to the Philippine Landscape runs from April 8-15 at Salcedo Auctions’ gallery,
Continuing to celebrate its 15th year as the premier auction house and as a leading taste arbiter, Salcedo Auctions’ gallery arm, Salcedo Private View, takes a bold direction by presenting Chinese artist Liping Zheng, who masterfully brings the past to the present using traditional painting traditions as he pays homage to his adoptive home, the Philippines.
A respected economist who has lived in the Philippines for the past 17 years, Zheng was born in Jieyang, a town known for great traditional painters. As a young boy in the late ’60s, Zheng started to create art with his hometown’s older painters, proudly showing off his works. “They would say, ‘Oh, how good,’ even if it’s not so good,” Zheng recalls, laughing. “As a kid, this is very inspiring. That was the time I fell in love with art.”
Though his mother encouraged him, Zheng did not go to art school. Instead, he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After that, he finished two masteral degrees—in Business Administration and in Public Policy in Administration at Harvard University—before earning a doctorate in economics. But he never forgot about art and continued to paint and explore the possibilities of traditional Chinese methodologies.
‘The Home in Rice Terraces,’ 2024 (left), ‘Fall Grove,’ 2019, both water-based color and ink on paper
In a way, Zheng’s pursuit of higher education overseas influenced his art-making process. While he remained deeply rooted in traditional art, his travels expanded his approach. “My painting, in terms of methodology, is very traditional Chinese because I focus a lot on the quality of ink and brush,” Zheng explains. “The opportunity to get exposed to Western art gave me a new sense of beauty.”
‘Spreading Hope,’ 2020 (left); ‘I am Innocent,’ 2021, both water-based color and ink on paper
Chinese art is classified into three types: Figures, landscape, and birds and flowers. Zheng excelled in the last category, which didn’t escape the eyes of China’s renowned art critic Sun Ke, who wrote in the June 2020 edition of Fine Arts Observation:
‘Far-Reaching Thought,’ 2020, water-based color and ink on paper
“His style is unique—he does not follow trends nor chase fame and fortune. He learns from the ancients without being bound by tradition, adheres to nature while emphasizing inner spirit. His brushwork is bold and fluid; his use of color is dazzling yet refined. In my view, Zheng Liping’s style may best be described as a form of contemporary literati freehand flower-and-bird painting that follows tradition while emphasizing personal feeling and individuality. Distinctive and truly extraordinary.”
‘Blossoming Better Than Last Year,’ 2024 (left); ‘Chained Jade,’ 2013, both water-based color and ink on paper
Titled The Light Between the Leaves: An Homage to the Philippine Landscape, Zheng’s exhibition at Salcedo Private View is a 25-year retrospective that includes works completed from 2020 to the present. Several paintings show his deep connection to his second home, from provincial scenery to an intimate view from the house of a friend, the late Washington Sycip, which was used in the exhibition’s invitation.
‘Under Sunshine of March,’ 2025 (left); ‘Full of Vitality,’ 2024, both
water-based color and ink on paper
Taken as a whole, the show reveals all the qualities Sun Ke admired in the artist’s works. The elegant brush strokes that can be traced to Zheng’s mastery of calligraphy, his vivid palette that conveys strong emotions, and his classic compositional grounding. Most of all, Zheng’s works express his state of mind.
“If there’s no feeling, usually I don’t like to paint. Painting is the expression of myself. When I paint, it’s the feeling … the way I move the stroke, the way I apply the color, the way I apply water. It’s totally based on the moment.”
The Light Between the Leaves: An Homage to the Philippine Landscape runs from April 8-15 at Salcedo Auctions’ gallery, Ground and Podium levels, NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. For inquiries, call landlines 632.88230956, 632.86599024, and mobile numbers 63.917.1075581, 63.917.5912191.
