attempted to combine Western and Chinese art while simultaneously paying homage to Chinese traditional art. Irene Chou was the Hong Kong representative for the United Nation's Women's Liberation. After the death of her mentor Lui Shou-Kwan in 1975 and her husband in 1978, the style of Chou’s work changed fundamentally. But this depression gave her enormous energy and so her style became bolder and more spontaneous. Her works from this period were informed by her exposure to abstract expressionism, Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Her works of the 1980s were representative of the New Ink style emerging in Hong Kong. Her works in the 1980s demonstrate her mastery of a range of techniques associated with both the ‘impact structural strokes’ – the artist’s distinctive violent and short brushstrokes associated with her Impact series style and the dense ink associated with her ‘Dark Painting’ style developed in the late 1970s. The artist carefully applied multiple layers of ink wash to both sides of the thin xuan paper (rice paper), systematically creating a sense of structure and depth, while forming a dark, thick and concentrated ink layer with a luminous surface and soft tones. In the 1980s she won several awards and became a key figure in the contemporary Hong Kong art scene. At age 67, Chou experienced a life-threatening stroke, and after intensive physiotherapy, she moved to Brisbane, Australia, from Hong Kong to be closer to her son. This experience led her to have a more melancholy approach to her art in this decade as Chou depicted images of rebirth on blackened backgrounds. In the following years she studied Buddhism and got interested in Aboriginal painting. The paintings were dark " I am not afraid of using black as some people are. ...In fact black is part of me the person". In the early 21st century her work became lighter and clearer with contrasting colors. She died in Brisbane, aged 87. Awards 1983: Urban Council Fine Arts Award, Hong Kong 1988: Artist of the Year Award by Hong Kong Artists’ Guild Exhibitions 1972: Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong 1973: Contemporary Prints by Chinese Artists, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong 1979: Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong 1983: Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial, City Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong 1985: Contemporary Hong Kong Art Biennial, City Museum