Zhong Chen employs the tiny, technological icon of the pixel in his paintings to bring decorative aspects of ancient Chinese art into a modern, international format. And he does it very well. Why the pixel? Because, small as it may be, the pixel is a large part of modern communication.

This Chinese born, Australian artist constructs large images by painting small individual squares with a precision of size and exact tonal relationships. When viewed up close we are impressed by Zhong's technique as we examine the parts of the painting's structure. Then, when we step back and see the work from a distance, the pixels meld into faces, a bunch of flowers or kick boxers and we delight in the image as a whole.

The series Shanghai Bund includes seven head and shoulder portraits of beautiful Oriental ladies, each set against a solid backdrop of colour. They capture our curiosity then hold our interest with their perfect mixture of modernity and tradition, delicacy and strength, reality and pretence. The harmony of warm apricot hues in #5 brings us close to investigate the surface while the duo in Romeo and Juliet  have us standing back to better 'see' their cheek to cheek embrace. No matter where you stand, the visual experience is rewarding.

These pixel paintings suggest a combination of the Oriental use of pattern, colour and design with those same aspects noted in Western art practices such as Seurat's Pointillism and Vasarely's Op-Art. Colour harmony and optical illusion are certainly celebrated in the collection of pink, red, green and yellow tiny squares that combine to form the beautiful Shanghai Flower 3. Bouquets to you Zhong Chen.