The paintings of C.N. Liew embody Zen and philosophical ideals, merging traditional aesthetics with contemporary sensibilities. Working across a broad range of media including ink, calligraphy, acrylic, watercolour, and sculpture, he also collaborates with artists in dance, musicals, and fashion, reflecting his openness to artistic dialogues. In this work, he pays homage to the renowned guqin musician Guan Ping Hu. Inspired by the ancient piece Mist & Cloud upon the Xiao & Xiang Rivers from The Sacred Text of Qin, the painting translates the poetic, meditative melody into a captivating visual expression that evokes the atmosphere of passing clouds and flowing rivers. C.N. Liew is the first in history to hold a contemporary ink exhibition at University of Cambridge. He is also the first Asian artist to be approved and invited by Clare Hall, University of Cambridge to hold his exhibition in the college. C.N. Liew is mentored by the Zen master Rev Bo Yuan a.k.a. Paik Wan and the modernist Chinese brush artist Liu Kuo-sung. He had won the Special Award for his Surrealligraphy, fusion of Western Surrealism and Chinese Calligraphy, in the Seoul Calligraphy Biennial in 2005, and has been featured in international fairs such as Hong Kong Art Fair (2011), Art Basel and Art Miami (2012) and Kunming Art Biennial (2023). C.N. Liew, a leading figure in Southeast Asia’s contemporary ink movement, was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He holds the distinction of being the first artist whose contemporary calligraphy has been acquired by the National Palace of Malaysia. In recognition of his artistic achievements, he received the “World Outstanding Young Leaders Award” from Asia Week in 2016. The National Art Gallery of Malaysia has presented "C.N. Liew: Beyond The Borders" in 2020. Liew was the first contemporary ink art artist to be invited to present a solo exhibition at the National Art Gallery Malaysia. Liew’s works are in the collection of the National Art Gallery, National Palace of Malaysia, University of Cambridge, Peking University, Xiamen University (Universitas Amoiensis), Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Taiwan, The Academy of Contemporary Ink Art of Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, Faculty of Art and Social Sciences University of Malaya and many important private collections across Asia, Europe and the United States. His works have been documented and featured in several prominent archives, including the Asia Art Archive, the National Art Gallery Malaysia Artist Archive, and Beijing KuArt. In the April 2025 Henry Butcher Art Auction, his painting A Dialogue With J.M.W. Turner (2015) was sold for RM 123,200.