"I like my paintings to be strong, whether from colour, form or something else. I want them to invoke an immediate reaction, either confronting the viewers or drawing them in to the work. They do not require much analysis or philosophical consideration, but rather appeal to the emotions and create an atmosphere of joy. The world of flowers and Irish dance have been my inspiration for some time."

I am inspired by natural law, pattern, and the subtle worlds of plants, animals, minerals, and the stars, and making art feels like the most direct way of communicating these perceptions in a way that can be shared with others. I also love being able to facilitate some kind of positive internal process in others, and if my work adds value to someone else's life then this brings great meaning and motivation to keep creating!

"My art practice is a very intuitive process. I organically rely on spontaneity to build up the surface of the paintings. I then attempt to make a fluid composition by relying on a variety of brushwork and mark-making while utilizing a variety of mediums to create the structure of the paintings. Flatness and texture work congruently. Color is important to me as well. I use color to illicit connotations of a psychic experience and as a reflection in the wild of poisonous warning symbols. I often work on two paintings at a time with similar content; moving back and forth lets me bounce ideas off of each painting. I know my paintings are finished after I have sat with them for months and I feel like it is not necessary to make another move."

"Painting abstractly connects me to an intuitive, emergent source. A visual language of personal and archetypal images will appear bridging the inner and outer worlds. I rely on my heart, body, and instincts to guide me."

“What matters to me is to show paintings in front of which the attentive spectator will settle down, enter into communion, take his own waking dream walk and dress, if only for a moment, in a rare, unusual sensation.”

"My artistic practice is to constantly capture and feel the inner state of human beings in different contexts, such as dreams, fantasies, hallucinations; these subconscious activities that cannot be observed with eyes. I question their significance in real life."

Tong Zhou was born in Baotou, Inner Mongolia in 1969 and lives in Shenzen, China. Zhou studied at the Li Keran Art Academy and Youth Art Academy. In 2010, Zhou studied contemporary oil painting at the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, and completed the research course. He has been engaged in design work in Shenzhen and in Berlin, Germany.

"Influenced by Buddhist philosophy, my work looks at the condition of being human from the perspective of interconnectedness and flux. I choose the language of abstraction to create a liminal space, a place of crossing where differences meet, exchange and transform in a tapestry of human experience."

"Abstract painting gives unlimited freedom for the artist to create his own language of symbols and forms. Like a jazz musician during improvisation, the artist lets his hands and imagination compose onto the canvas until it reverberates with beautiful music."

"My work is evolving towards creating scenes that subtly exaggerate reality. Patience is really important to me in art, it clearly shows when someone puts thought and time into a piece; Jeremy Geddes is the perfect example of this, I really admire his work."

"Contrasts captivate me. They allow me to complicate my existence. Such surfaces turn into intense energetic knots in which the relation between body and thing is crucial – the life hiding in the thing and the thing-like quality of the body. In my work, these two components began to slowly intertwine into a single cyborg “woman-machine”, into a woman whose body is shot through with history."

“Painting the dance of the birds; mainly the crow, the falcon, the goose, the eagle —these subtle beings with their broad wings and feathers that spread like fingers in the great circle of the living kingdom.”

"During my 55-year career, many changes and growth have come to me. I am now more excited about new techniques and materials to create than I have since I started. I get my inspiration from many sources which include nature, spirituality and my emotions."

"I am rewarded by being able to express my feelings in a piece of art. I liken the experience to a runner’s high which many artists feel. To cross the ‘finish line’ as I bring a painting to its conclusion brings me the greatest joy."

In my work, I am exploring and playing with different types of paint, colors, forms patterns and materials. My inspiration to play comes from observing human interactions and behaviors."

"A composition, its shapes and forms, is quickly sketched out and then drawn carefully to scale on the computer. This becomes an accurate template to build a painting. When it comes to each painted element, other than horizontal bands of colour, there are no rules. I immerse myself for days creating colours upon colours, whatever comes to mind - colour flow is loose, spontaneous and intuitive, meandering through darks and lights, earthy, ethereal, cold and warm tones. I explore the elementary qualities unique to watercolour - texture, sediment differences, water tension, colour strength and its unique ethereal transparency resulting in an incomparable light reflection. Then I turn back to the template, with as few preconceptions as possible, to find where the two can meet."

"I am creating a visual language with wasteful commodities that allows for social critique that raises provocative questions of our consumer society. I am looking at our history and practices through our use of house paint. Through my sourcing of mistints and discarded house paint, I bring attention to these paints as they are manifestations of culture and carriers of invisible memory."

Aihara has had numerous solo shows and participated in many group events in her home country as well as abroad in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Germany and the United States. She also participated in art events like Florence Art Biennale, London Art Biennale, Art Expo New York, Chianciano Art Awards and many more.