New Collection *UNFURLING* coming in April
UNFURLING is my new abstract acrylic paintings created in 2023. It will be exhibited at Lake House Arts Centre in Takapuna from 15th to 27th April. In preparation for this exhibition, I had a strong urge to create abstract paintings that are personal and intimate There is also a great desire in me to incorporate my Asian Water-Ink upbringing into the contemporary mixed media approach. I decided to create the collection based on my childhood memories - my aesthetic story that has shaped who I am as an artist. Leaning into my imagination of vaporous memories UNFURLING captures a sense of belonging and magic through my exploration of abstract language, watery marks, transparent layers and fluid pouring.
UNFURLING draws inspiration from the nightly walks I took with my parents when I was a little five year old. During the summer evenings, we would take a stroll from our house to the university campus where my dad was teaching. We would walk by the alleyway franked by hibiscus shrubs, stopped by a pond beaming with tropical vegetation, dragonflies and frogs, picked up my favourite jelly snack from the corner store and then meandered into the campus. In the twilight hours, the night jasmine unfold their blooms and filled the air with delightful aroma. Then one by one the fireflies flew out of the shrubs and and trees and lit up the night with their cheerful lanterns. I would be chasing after the bugs, trying to capture them with a glass jar, or just letting the sweet cool jelly slipped down my throat.
We moved to another urban area in Taipei later and I started primary school. As life progressed, I left my home town following my adventures and the little pond, the jasmine bloom and the fireflies are forgotten like a faint whisper. I never even have a photo of the pond or the neighbourhood...
Years later one night I was searching for a distinctive experience in my life that shaped who I am as an artist, suddenly the memories of the five year old ... the reflection on the water, the ripples made by the aquatic insects, the fragrance of the night and the magic of the lightening bugs all came back to me, unfurling themselves tenderly, lively ... Suddenly I realised those nightly walks I had as a five year old marked a time and space when I was first awaken to the beauty and wonder of the world. I was feeling safe, belonging, simply me and free. These memories are my anchor, my haven, my riches beyond diamonds and rubies that I will cherish forever and create from.