Artist Statement
Art
is a vessel for me to connect my inherited histories and living stories into a
visual language where I can communicate beyond words. Exploring myself and my
locality through painting and drawing, each piece of work is a manifestation of
the plurality which a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-local identity like my
own holds.
My process begins with sketching. I prefer this to photography which involuntarily captures everything, whereas sketching makes you conscious of what you decide to grasp. From there I often flesh out a sketch by scaling up. For example, my recent oil painting “Mei Hua” and drawing “Hold” comment on East Asian beauty standards, while channelling my own family’s dynamics. While “Mei Hua” is a self-portrait depicting me against a jaded green background symbolic of family and unity in Hong Kong, “Hold” refers to my own selves being able to support each other against my family’s stereotypical values. I also take time to explore similar questions through radically different means and media – including sketches, oil paintings, and sculptures made of dried out latex that resembles pre-cooked fish bladders.
I am drawn to the works of women artists such as the American feminist artist Judy Chicago and the Chinese-American painter Chen Yanning who translates her cultural identity through selected motifs and materials, always with an ambition to uphold the role of women.
Art has become my greatest ally, allowing me to question the world, without necessarily awaiting clear answers, but rather relishing the search for them through its process.
My process begins with sketching. I prefer this to photography which involuntarily captures everything, whereas sketching makes you conscious of what you decide to grasp. From there I often flesh out a sketch by scaling up. For example, my recent oil painting “Mei Hua” and drawing “Hold” comment on East Asian beauty standards, while channelling my own family’s dynamics. While “Mei Hua” is a self-portrait depicting me against a jaded green background symbolic of family and unity in Hong Kong, “Hold” refers to my own selves being able to support each other against my family’s stereotypical values. I also take time to explore similar questions through radically different means and media – including sketches, oil paintings, and sculptures made of dried out latex that resembles pre-cooked fish bladders.
I am drawn to the works of women artists such as the American feminist artist Judy Chicago and the Chinese-American painter Chen Yanning who translates her cultural identity through selected motifs and materials, always with an ambition to uphold the role of women.
Art has become my greatest ally, allowing me to question the world, without necessarily awaiting clear answers, but rather relishing the search for them through its process.