The Extraordinary in Ordinary Life: Zhao Xiao Dong on Painting, Memory and Human Connection
Reflections on “Magnificent Acts – A Practice for Living,” an artist talk held at M+ on 2 November 2026 On 2 November 2026, the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong’s Foundation Gallery presented Magnificent Acts – A Practice for Living, a talk by Chongqing-based painter Zhao Xiao Dong, with the support of Chao Lee Art Foundation. Following Zhao’s presentation, moderators Gao Yi and Professor Desmond Hui joined him for a conversation about realism, portraiture and the relationship between art and everyday experience. Rather than offering a conventional account of technique, Zhao led the audience through vegetable markets, mountain paths, kitchens, classrooms and studios. His paintings, he showed, begin long before a canvas is stretched. They grow out of repeated encounters: shopping for food, sharing a meal, teaching children, climbing a mountain, or simply noticing how a person sits, works or plays. By the end of the afternoon, a clear idea had emerged. Painting is not only a matter of r...
