Hilde Mertens
Contemporary Chinese Calligraphy
“qi”
Life force, flow, air, breath, spirit, movement
be aware., Explore.
The essence of the universe.
Everywhere.
Which energy to embrace.
Start with curiosity.
心存觉察
以探寻
宇宙之本
无所不在
拥抱能量之流
自好奇而始
art salon
A space where artists, thinkers, and curious minds look beyond the obvious, share stories across cultures and disciplines.
art hong kong expo
May 2026
A new adventure. A new art space to explore how my work resonates, to share narratives and stories about culture and art. And where might go next.
hong kong university, art history
We took 40+ Art History students from the University of Hong Kong to a Chinese calligraphy store with Professor Elisabeth Berry Drago.
Our goal: to explore Chinese art media and materials.
What at first looks like an art shop quickly reveals itself as something much richer: a doorway into the origins of Chinese writing, tracing back to 1,200 BC, and materials that carry nearly 3,000 years of artistic practice, tradition and culture. This place is in every sense a living archive of Chinese art history.
And that is still the surface.
A deeper question emerges. One at the heart of Chinese artistic culture and expression: how did Calligraphy or “beautiful writing” and poetry came to be regarded as the highest art form for thousands of years, even above painting? ...
(link to the full article: (1) Post | Feed | LinkedIn
Cannot wait to do this again and build on what we have learned!
City University, HK
My lecture on: Art as an Investment: How do we price the priceless?
Drawing on my experiences as former investment and private banker alongside my work as Chinese calligraphy artist, I unpacked how advisors guide HNW collectors through the global art market, bridging efficient transparent financial markets with the opaque, emotion-driven dynamics of art valuation. A story that cannot be complete without applying the lens of behavioral economics and biases to explain why collectors behave the way they do.
Lecture series: Patronage and Art Market, under Prof. Astrid Hardt, 19 March 2026
Lingnan University, HK
A Storytelling Series
November 2025
Together with Professors Feifei Zhou, Julia Chan and our Curator Annie Tsoi, we launched our Storytelling Project for the Ink Meditation Room at the Lingnan M+ Campus.
With an enthusiastic group of MADES students (Master of Arts in Digital English Studies), we have been diving deep into the boundaries of culture, intercultural experiences and dialogue, the impact of storytelling and visual arts. All while taking the road less travelled, moving from writing in a non-native language, to embracing digital tools to expand our spaces of expression while feeling inspired by Chinese calligraphy.
The Friends of The HK Museum of Arts
Ink Studio, Searching for the Essence in a Single Line
July 2023
Le Meridien-Cyberport
Ink Studios, Summer 2023