Yao Jui-cheung is a Taiwanese artist, curator, critic and art historian whose works on paper - as well as experiments in multimedia, performance art and sculpture - celebrate beauty alongside intellectual engagement, refusing to sacrifice one to the other. A man after my own heart.

His art has many facets but this post focuses on the beautiful yet tongue-in-cheek “wonderful series” of drawings that he produced during an arts residency at Glenfiddich distillery in Scotland in 2007.

Using fine point oil pen on handmade paper with gold leaf (in departure from the traditional Chinese ink wash techniques), Yao captured the beauty of Scottish landscapes while introducing local customs (refined or otherwise, in another departure from traditional Chinese ink painting) and his own state of being. He described this period as a "turning point" in his artistic approach and the development of a New Chinese Ink Art.

Yao wrote, 'wonderful' is … reflective of the environment and experience I found at the Glenfiddich distillery and are dedications to my beloved masters of past artistic tradition. The tranquility and creative space this residency provided has allowed me to work uninterrupted by the stresses of my everyday life in Taiwan."

Born in Taipei in 1969, Yao Jui-cheung obtained his degree from the National Institute of The Arts (Taipei) in Art Theory. He is considered a leading photographer and pioneer of contemporary art in Taiwan, and has represented his country at the Venice Biennale in 1997. He is the recipient of multiple awards and has participated in numerous international exhibitions as both artist and curator.