Cheong Hoi I

Cheong Hoi I is a mokuhanga artist based in Macau, the former Portuguese territory on the southern coast of China that reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. Working from this unique cultural crossroads where Portuguese colonial heritage meets Cantonese Chinese traditions, Cheong brings a distinctive geographic and cultural perspective to the international mokuhanga community.

Macau's position as a meeting point of Eastern and Western cultures makes it an apt base for an artist working in mokuhanga, a Japanese technique that itself represents the intersection of indigenous Japanese craft traditions with influences absorbed from Chinese woodblock printing over centuries. Cheong's practice operates within this layered history while contributing to the medium's contemporary global expansion.

Cheong has been a consistent participant in the International Mokuhanga Conference exhibitions, with work shown at the 2017 IMC in Hawaii and the 2021 IMC in Nara, demonstrating sustained engagement with the international community over multiple conference cycles. The IMC in Hawaii was particularly significant as a Pacific Rim gathering that bridged Asian and American mokuhanga communities, while the 2021 Nara conference -- held during the COVID-19 pandemic with various adaptations -- tested the resilience of the international network.

Cheong is also listed in the Mokumap directory maintained by Mokuhanga Magic, the Belgian organization dedicated to promoting water-based woodblock printing internationally. The Mokumap serves as a global registry of mokuhanga practitioners, connecting artists, educators, and enthusiasts across national boundaries. Inclusion in the directory signals active participation in the international community and a willingness to engage with other practitioners.

The artist's work engages with the technical and aesthetic possibilities of water-based woodblock printing, a medium that rewards patience, material sensitivity, and the kind of sustained practice that develops over years of working with wood, water, pigment, and paper. From Macau, Cheong contributes to demonstrating that mokuhanga has taken root not only in its home country of Japan and in Western nations with strong printmaking traditions, but across the diverse cultural landscape of East and Southeast Asia.

Macau's unique position as a Special Administrative Region with both Chinese and Portuguese cultural influences creates an artistic context unlike any other in the mokuhanga world. The territory's compact geography and cosmopolitan character make it a natural meeting point for artistic ideas from across Asia and Europe. Cheong's sustained participation in international mokuhanga events over multiple conference cycles, from 2017 through 2021, reflects a deep commitment to the practice and to the cross-cultural community that sustains it.