Chong-Xiao Zheng’s practice interweaves humor, environmental consciousness, and social reflection. Through his signature alter ego “Pouting Boy” — a cartoonish avatar derived from his own image — Zheng engages in a playful yet critical dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity. By reinterpreting classical Chinese landscape paintings alongside iconic Western masterpieces, he bridges cultural and temporal boundaries to address urgent issues such as ecological preservation, energy crisis, and environmental ethics.

His journey began in 2014, after encountering Fan Kuan’s Travellers Among Mountains and Streams at the National Palace Museum. Moved by the profundity of classical aesthetics, Zheng initiated a project to “remake” historical landscapes, aiming to resonate with younger audiences and to recontextualize traditional painting in a contemporary visual language. This series became a turning point in his career, establishing a conceptual framework grounded in art historical inquiry.

Building on his insights from Chinese painting, Zheng later extended this approach to Western art history, inserting “Pouting Boy” into well-known masterpieces of Western painting. These reinterpretations — both witty and evocative — have resonated strongly with both the art community and the general public, demonstrating not only his deep sensitivity to visual culture across traditions, but also his ability to situate his work within a broader global discourse.

A recurring concern in Zheng’s work is the idea of “being present” within historical narratives. By placing “Pouting Boy” within iconic scenes, he disrupts the authority of the original context while opening up new layers of meaning. The character becomes a time-travelling witness — a visual conduit traversing history, memory, and imagination.

 

 

Education  

2019 MFA in Department of Fine Art, National Taiwan University of Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

2014 BFA in Department of Fine Art, National Taiwan University of Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

​

Collection

2024 China Medical University Hospital Museum, Taiwan

2023 Art Bank, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan

2022 Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

2016 Art Bank, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan

2015 Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2015 Art Bank, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan

 

Award Record

2018 National Exhibition, R.O.C. Oil painting, Merit Award

2018 Kaohsiung Award, Oil Painting, Judges' Award

2017 Made In Taiwan, Ministry of Culture

2017 Kaohsiung Award, Oil Painting, Judges' Award

2016 The 2016 Taiwan Emerging Art Awards, Judges' Award

2016 Kaohsiung Award, Oil Painting, Judges' Award

2015 The 2015 Taiwan Emerging Art Awards, Judges' Award

2015 The 13th Taoyuan Contemporary Art Award, Judges' Award

2013 Taipei Art Awards, Merit Award

2013 Kaohsiung Award, Sketch, Judges' Award

​

Solo Exhibition

2025 "Pouting Boy Doesn't Want to Grow Up, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan

2024 "In Search of Fun", Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

2024 "A Trip to Old Paintings", AN INC., Seoul, Korea

2023 “Little Forest”, ASTAR GALLERY,  Taipei, Taiwan

2022 “Little Fat Boy”, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan

2022 “Little Fat Boy”, Tainan Art Museum, Tainan, Taiwan

2020 “Hello! How are you there～”, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan

2019 “Little Bit Funny”, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei, Taiwan

2019 “Pouting Boy In Sizihwan”, Art Center National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

2018 “The Third Industrial Revolution”, High Tech Computer Corporation headquarters hall, New Taipei City, Taiwan

2018 “Landscape Plus”, ASTAR GALLERY,  Taipei, Taiwan

2017 “Pouting Boy: Reproduction Plan”, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2015 “Pouting Boy”, 435 Art Zone, New Taipei City, Taiwan

2014 “1987”, Waley Art, Taipei, Taiwan

2013 “Big Smile”, 435 Art Zone, New Taipei, Taiwan

 

Group Exhibition

2025 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2025 Study x PLAS: Aisa Art Fair, ASTAR GALLERY, Osaka International Convention Center, Japan

2025 Art Central, ASTAR GALLERY, Central Harbourfront, Hong Kong

2024 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2023 KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa, ASTAR GALLERY, Hyatt Centric Kanazawa, Kanazawa, Japan
2023 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2022 ART021 SHANGHAI CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR, ASTAR GALLERY, Shanghai Exhibition. Center, Shanghai, China

2022 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2021 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2020 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2019 SHENZHEN INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, ASTAR GALLERY, Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, China

2019 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLERY, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2019 FIAC, Grand Palais, Paris, France

2019 SHANGHAI ART FAIR, ASTAR GALLERY, Shanghai Mart, Shanghai, China

2019 “Mirror, mirror, on the wall”, Juming Museum, New Taipei, Taiwan

2018 ART TAIPEI, ASTAR GALLER, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan 

2017 ART TAIPEI x Made In Taiwan, ASTAR GALLER, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2017 RIVERRUN, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

2015 SHENZHEN INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, China 2015 Make Sense, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan