Your practice explores the intricate relationship between nature and humanity. Can you explain more about how these dynamic influences your work?? 

Undoubtedly, the issue at hand is intricate, with diverse perspectives on how to coexist with nature. My artistic focus revolves around land utilization. When examining official maps, I perceive an abstract representation—a resource distribution chart measured and delineated by human standards, presenting itself as a meticulously ordered plane. However, Google satellite maps unveil unsettling changes absent from official documentation. In Malaysia, land attributes are frequently inappropriately altered, rendering the tropical rainforest nearly nominal. The prevailing mindset prioritizes efficiency, evident in the simple act of replanting in deforested areas, overlooking centuries of accumulated biodiversity. The 2035 town planning document, by merely renaming the virgin forest behind my house as vacant land, has underscored the uncertainty surrounding land. 

In recent years, witnessing monkeys foraging in community trash bins and abandoned wildlife, such as lizards scorched by severed power cables, after the hill behind my house’s development, awakened a familiar sense of displacement within me. Kuala Lumpur, my birthplace and upbringing, has seen me undergo multiple relocations due to land reclamation. One of my father’s and one of my mother’s ancestral homes have transformed into a parking lot and a viaduct, respectively. These irretrievable voids have driven me to create and reflect on works related to land usage.  

Delving deeper into my artwork, I assumed control, mirroring the authority’s land management approach, akin to a hunter pursuing its prey. I manipulated topographic maps from The Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, cutting, tearing, burning, and reorganizing them as if dissecting my prey. The outcome is a ‘地皮‘（Skin of Land—a term in Chinese referring to a commercially valuable site) adorned with holes and tamed by my intervention. Deliberately burned identifiable words on the map blur the line between human dwellings and nature. 

What message do you hope the audience will take away from your piece?   

I aspire for my work to reignite the viewer’s tactile instincts and sensory perceptions, provoking a profound response to the depiction of devastated landscapes. I aim to cultivate an appreciation for these visceral emotions and, in doing so, encourage a transition towards empathetic respect for the environment and all living species.

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Because artistic expression breaks free from functionality and utilitarianism, when immersed in the creative state, I am able to, like any species living in a forest, purely experience the present, feeling life itself. 

Can you elaborate more on the scene you have created?  

The images in the artworks are sourced from Hong Kong newspaper clippings spanning from 2014 to 2022. These images depict incidents of danger, accidental encounters in the city, and abuse by humans. I created the scene where animals in Hong Kong are attending the parliament. 

Your works often feature a variety of approaches which are presented in forms of a collage. Can you tell us a little more about this artistic process?  

 I have spent years rereading newspapers collected from the past few years, with a focus on analyzing the composition, frequency, and ratio of images in the news while preserving the ambiguity and openness of these symbols.” 

In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

In life, when faced with powerlessness and restlessness, the creative process allows me to preserve purity and express my thoughts at a particular moment. 

You have worked together for over a decade. How, if at all has your artistic process changed over the years?   

We not only work together, but also live together as a family for many years. We studied at art college and institute, and our ideas about art developed and changed with us throughout our lives. If at firstfirst, we thought within the framework of modernist ideas about art (I did a lot of painting, Victor – sculpture), then in the late 90s the ideas and possibilities of contemporary art were revealed to usus, and we decided to combine our efforts in working on common projects. This is how we created works in which we used photography, video, objects, and texts. Most often they took the form of installations. 

 What message do you hope audiences will derive from your work? ​​​​​​​ 

​​​​​​​ We are always impressed by the nature that surrounds our city of Almaty. There are high snow-capped mountains here, and steppe expanses open to the north of the city. Nearby is the artificial lake Kapchagai. At the end of winter, we observed the movement and melting of ice there. This sight was majestic and there was a feeling that we were somewhere in Antarctica. There was a feeling of globality, integrity and fragility of the world. The concept of the Anthropocene describes the state and interaction of humans and nature. It is this feeling that we would like to convey in our work. 

 In what way has art positively impacted your lives? ​​​​​​​ 

​​Our life manifests itself in art. We are immersed in this process. Moreover, we are interested in engaging not only in our own creativity, but in art in general, as an area of manifestation of the human spirit, as a platform for the collision and development of various ideas and artistic practices. In this sense, of course, art is a positive factor for us.​​​​​​​ 

You reference the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you wish to convey to the audience about this?   

I wanted the concrete cubes to represent the heavy energy that surrounded the world due to the deaths, loneliness, anxiety, and uncertainty during the height of the pandemic. The choice of material was a conscious one, because I wanted it to embody a very dense space which needed to be cleansed – by the smoke of the incense – which represents our personal faith. During that time, I was battling depression and exploring faith was the only thing I felt I had control over.  

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Art has always been my way of reflecting life as I live it. It is a very special and intimate language which I can use to express my thoughts and emotions, especially when I do not have the right words for them. 

What message do you want to convey to the audience through your use of colour and composition in this piece?

This painting is called ‘Bird of Paradise (Night)’. I wanted to convey the feeling of a tropical night sky – a dark blue background with filters of pink and purple, alluding to sunsets or tropical flowers. The white central figure – the Bird of Paradise – a theme explored in my practice symbolises the body and spirit of the colonised, as thousands of these birds in Eastern Indonesia and Papua were killed to near extinction and exported as decorative items during the 18th and 19th centuries.

You mention that your work explores identity and aesthetics. Can you explain a little more about the significance of these topics and how you feel they influence each other in / through your work? 

Being Balinese but growing up in London, I use colour as a language to express my identity. Cooler palettes of blues and greens reflect the Northern light and a European sensibility. Warmer, pop-like colours reflect Bali’s more tropical palettes and perhaps a more Asian way of thinking.

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Art has given me the unique opportunity to spend each day creating, travelling, living, working as an artist, seeing the world as an artist – meeting people from all walks of life who have shared their knowledge and learning and have inspired me over the years.

Can you share a little about the research you carried out (and any discoveries you made) when creating this piece? 

 Crowd is part of a series of 40 glass plates I’ve made for my work The Suitcase Is A Little Bit Rotten which reappropriates Magic Lantern slide images from the early 1900s and takes us into the imaginary landscapes of the womb as well as Southeast Asia. Magic Lanterns were the grandparents of the 35mm carousel slideshow we may be more familiar with. From the 1650s, Magic Lantern shows and lectures were used as children’s cartoons, in schools and churches. My interest in them was sparked by learning about how the British colonial government had a series of eight lectures accompanied by Magic Lantern slides which educated students around its colonies about the British Empire. I was interested in reappropriating the colonial technology somehow for the broader project I’ve been working on: to relook the memory of the anti-colonial war in British Malaya (present-day Malaysia and Singapore). I collected Magic Lantern slides from British colonial sources, astronomy sources as well as Christian missionary ones. I bought many of these slides and now have a small collection of my own.  

The specific slide that is the base image of Crowd was from the Malayan Information Office, a British colonial government office tasked to grow trade with the colony using propaganda images and texts. As with the rest of the series, I intervened with the image. I grafted onto the image my late paternal grandfather — a journalist and educator who was in the anti-colonial movement and eventually executed for being so. He unobtrusively is there, observing the scene, a camera slung around his neck. If you know to look for him, you might spot him. If not, he’s just part of the scene of mostly Malays gathered in a spot in Malaya. I use the original slides as archive and a site of time travel to open up speculative possibilities. This series follows a decade of my working with the colonial photographic archive on the Malayan war, and I had started to feel that the past, too, needs somewhere to go. Working with archival imagery but in this whimsical way opened things up for me aesthetically and in terms of the narrative of the project. This series is displayed on lightbox stands which are replicas of vintage stands from the early 1900s which were used for retouching glass negatives.  

How did your commission and experience as Nobel Peace Prize photographer in 2017 influence or shape your practice as an artist thereafter?  

That commission by the Nobel Peace Museum in Oslo came at a time when my practice was already shifting and it gave me an opportunity to transition from my documentary roots to a more conceptual and speculative way of creating. The work I made for that commission was a series of landscapes photographs of nuclear sites in the United States, paired with those from North Korea. They were rooted in documentary research but as diptychs, they introduced an ambiguity and speculation for the viewer which I intended.   

But I had in fact started working a couple of years before that on a series of landscape photographs with the conceit that the land itself could be an unspoken archive embedded with invisible traces of the past. I showed that work for the first time in a solo show at Hanart TZ Gallery in Hong Kong in the summer of 2019. I’ve continued to work in this mode: the work still departs from research but works more in the realm of imagination and speculation.  

I also at this point started to work more in video installation.  

In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

 I am really grateful to be in a privileged position where I can use my skills and experience and bring it all to bear in a creative way. It is still sometimes hard for me to define what it is to be an artist but I know it is the vocation in which I can do this combination of deep-dive research, thinking and aesthetics which I love. Having come from an academic training in history and then a first career as a journalist / foreign correspondent, and working in more didactic ways as a documentarian, I really cherish the ways I get to work in now: open-ended, creative, using imagination and story-telling. History and memory are some of my main concerns, and story-telling, in its multiple forms, is fundamental to what make us human. 

What inspired you to create a work demonstrating various interpretations of Korean Beauty?

Hanji and gold leaf are traditional Korean materials, perfect for expressing Korean beauty through their soft, delicate texture and subtle glow. However, I didn’t want to merely replicate these traditional materials on canvas. Instead, I aimed to establish a deeper connection by blending the natural flow of Hanji with the captivating brilliance of gold leaf. This artistic journey allowed me to infuse my experiences and emotions into my work. I embraced various techniques, each adding a unique note to different expressions, showcasing the ever-evolving nature of beauty in our modern world. Those who view my artwork will witness Korea’s beauty reimagined through my lens and hopefully be moved, comforted, and inspired by it.

You reference “the unchanging value” in your work. What do you hope to communicate to the audience?

Within the tapestry of my artwork, the enduring spirit of “unchanging value” resonates through my chosen materials. Hanji, crafted from mother nature, and gold leaf, born from the alchemy of human ingenuity. By combining these two materials, I aim to express the harmonious coexistence of nature and humanity and convey a message of seeking eternal beauty amidst change. Through abstract manipulation of these materials, I hope to provoke thought and contemplation within the viewer and encourage them to ask deep questions. Ultimately, I aspire for my work to transcend the boundaries of interpretation and inspire viewers to find their own meaning and value in life.

In what way has art positively impacted your life?

Art is a medium that allows me to express my inner feelings and thoughts freely. It has helped me grow mentally, understand myself better, and see the world from a new perspective. By creating artworks, I have explored different inspirations and ideas, allowing me to share my feelings, empathize, and communicate with others more easily. Art constantly inspires me to challenge and improve myself, and exploring new expressive techniques and approaches stimulates my development as an artist. Art gives meaning and value to my life, and I hope to positively impact the world through my art.

How important is your choice of medium and color palette to the meaning of your work?    

I try not to restrict myself to a certain palette, although I can say that it’s a grey palette most of the time. But I often try to choose it according to the space and atmosphere I want to depict or (maybe It’s better to say) I have in my mind. For example, in the Demons series I used the palette and even same colors that ancient Iranian painters used. About the medium I can say that I use whatever that interests me. I like to experience new techniques and medias and whenever an idea comes, I take some time to imagine different mediums and medias for it, then I choose the most suitable one according to my feelings, there’s always something that feels right. 

What is the significance of combining and transforming different animal elements to create the ‘creatures’ depicted in your work?  

The truth is I see human being not just as a monolith creature but as someone who barriers all the creatures within; all the creatures that once were perhaps part of his/her evolution. In the human sense of it, we can be an angel, a demon, an animal or simply a human. And whatever part I draw for a creature is upon the significant character I want to add. For example, when you see a woman’s figure with a wing you can imagine some spiritual characters are expected from her, and when the figure is erotic, well there’s a contradiction of course. The other side of the issue is how these complicated creatures deal with the rules and the law, which is depicted by the lines: street lines or any other social signals I use. 

 In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

 Well I can say that art has impacted all areas of my life. It helped me find my own language, speak and communicate with others. I have gained a better balance within and get to know myself better. It’s something that’s worth living for. 

Your work is deeply personal. What message do you hope to communicate to the audience?

Through my work I aim to explore human emotions and the complexities of existence, with a blend of melancholy and hope. Between introspection and self-discovery, I seek to understand both myself and the world, inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences and connections through the work they witness. My work serves as a poignant reflection of the human condition, inviting viewers to connect and empathize with the shared complexities of life.

 What inspired you to use red marble stone as your medium?

Using red marble stone, which in our local language is called “Naushehra Pink” as my medium, was inspired by my fascination with incorporating construction materials into my work, adding layers of meaning, connecting personal and collective struggles to the physicality of the material itself.

Initially, I started using marble because it’s a locally used material in building homes, shrines, and gravestones, delving into the juxtaposition of natural materials and symbolic representations to evoke emotions tied to interpersonal and political tensions.

The choice of marble, with its associations of skin, flesh, blood, and fragility, adds depth to this exploration. By merging the weight of the past with the pulse of the present, my work reflects on how traumatic events can both hinder and empower individuals and communities to confront political forces. This interplay between strength and fragility in both the materiality of marble and the concept of home creates a powerful narrative that resonates with personal and collective struggles. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

I think art is something that grounds me and gives me a sense of purpose everyday. A very subtle way to live through life. It’s like having a third eye where you become your own live’s audience after a point.

It’s truly wonderful how deeply intertwined art is with my life and how it fosters self-awareness and resilience. My practice and life goes hand in hand and mostly it’s hard to disentangle or separate the two.

This symbiotic relationship between my studio practice and everyday life highlights the profound impact art can have on one’s sense of purpose and identity. Embracing art as a means of personal expression and growth is a beautiful journey that enriches both myself and my audience.

You explain that your work draws upon your personal experiences and history. Can you elaborate on thways in which your own culture and heritage influence your work?   

More recently, I’ve been looking at how certain aspects in the indigenous cultures I belong to conditionally adopt or deny current capitalist and continuing colonial economic situations in our daily lives. We negotiate behaviours of economizing indigeneity to survive like social media captures of everyday indigenous life, or indigenous tattooing traditions, or indigenous textile weavers collaborating with fashion industry influencers. I look at the shifts in power that lead to activism, survival, care, or consciously making sure there is space for making and discussion. These observations form the narratives I lay out in my work if not on an implied scale. It is what drives the work.  

What is the significance of your media: using butcher hooks, human hair and your other materials?  

I look at objects as if they were found in a museum. I am fascinated by how museum objects are new objects or have at one point carried that stature and yet, are given that stature based on a weird history of the gentry’s cabinets of curiosities. As a response, there becomes this urgency to create new objects to directly identify the failings of institutional definitions against indigenous peoples, such as indigenous history housed in a state-run museum detailing indigenous genocide sans reconciliation. Sometimes, I like to go back to a time in my childhood when I made social cause posters or editorial cartoons and realize how much that gave me a greater sense of a world. I think that has carried through but with the help of objects instead of crayons. It is an exciting process that it is much more thorough in the context of an everyday art practice.  

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Art is like a glue for many abstract feelings and ideas on a multi-sensory scale. I don’t see it being consciously a thing that impacts the way I live. It is how I live. It is oxygen. 

Can you elaborate more on the scene you have created? 

In a scene steeped in themes of loss, insecurity, and sudden upheaval, the characters in this painting are very aware of their circumstances. They sit amidst an unconventional setting with an air of casualness, perhaps a young couple, siblings, friends, or even strangers, each delicately cradling plants. The observer becomes implicitly involved in the scene, positioned within a space looking out upon them, with curtains suggesting the option to detach if desired. The couple finds themselves positioned amidst potential danger without adequate shelter. The painting is intricately layered, depicting a room with a window, a soft pink wall where the figures sit, and beyond, trees laden with falling bombs. Each layer is imbued with a sense of care. Yet beneath this veneer of life lies an unmistakable undercurrent of uncertainty and peril. For the viewer, standing next to the flame, the figures and what lies beyond the trees. 

You mention that your work draws from personal experiences. What do you hope audiences will take away from the piece? 

I immerse my artwork in layers of symbolism, finding beauty in its subjective nature where interpretations vary between viewers and myself. Each symbol serves as a vessel, carrying multiple thoughts, ideas, and messages, allowing for a nuanced decoding of the work. Rooted in the oral histories of my people and family this painting speaks of life in overlooked or neglected spaces. Revisiting this work now, the meaning has evolved for me, particularly influenced by shifts in global politics. It’s akin to an open wound that may scab over, yet never fully heals. The painting continues to resonate with me, taking on new significance as the world around us changes, highlighting the enduring struggle and resilience of those whose voices that many willingly choose to ignore. 

 In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

It’s always helped me engage with my environment and grapple with my thoughts. Creating is how I make sense of the world around me. I don’t aim to solve global issues with a painting, but rather to contextualize and understand them within my own framework. As a cultural worker, I create to remember—to preserve narratives, experiences, and histories that might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. At best it has also helped me form relationships with like-minded, curious practitioners. Who makes me feel that my art is my way of contributing to a collective understanding and appreciation of the complexities of our world 

What significance does the process of woodcut and wood carving hold in your work?  

 The unique medium demonstrates my continued experimentation to merge woodcut and drawing techniques.  In 2018, I bought a box of tools and a woodblock from Shenzhen Dafen Village and made her first woodcut. I’m completely self-taught and can tell you a million failure stories if you let me.  Five years and over 100 woodblocks later, I realised my favourite part of the entire printmaking process is carving. Tracing my roots in drawing and further exploring my obsession with woodcut, I’ve developed a unique style of “original wood carvings”, combining drawing and woodcut together.  

 In the ‘year of the dragon’: what inspired you to feature this mythical Chinese creature so heavily throughout your work?  

The Chinese dragon holds a special place in my imaginary narrative “Polluta.” Polluta is an ecotopian artist colony in my world-building project “The World of 2084.”  “At Polluta, it is illegal to bury artists’ corposes. Deceased residents are cremated by fire-breathing dragons resided in the deep dark dungeon. Ashes are used as fertiliser in the rooftop garden to encourage big fat crops.”  This is also my first year to embark on an annual series of zodiac animals.  

For many years, I’ve flirted with the idea. My latest exhibition “100 Woodblocks Later” featured a large diptych of dragon and phoenix, a body of ten dragons in rainbow colours. The original idea was nine dragons, referring to Kowloon, Hong Kong’s peninsular meaning “Nine Dragons.” The tenth robot rainbow dragon was a feverish inspired accident after a robot-theme Valentine dinner date with my husband.  

You have woven an extremely rich narrative with ‘The World of 2084’ and ‘Polluta’. What is it that inspires you to look beyond the here and now to create work around an imagined, futuristic reality?  

It is indeed a complex ongoing lifelong project! There are five imaginary countries (G5, the Great Five Industrial Nations) in total: Contradictories, Northlandia, Dreamland, the Aristocratic Union and the Republic of Strata.  These five micro-narratives will eventually weave together a grand narrative of year 2084, portraying my imagined futuristic geopolitical world in a way that teases out the nuances in our understanding of the Anthropocene.  If you look at all dystopian fiction, the imagination is firmly based in the author’s now and then. Even though my works have a heavy speculative fictional aspect, the work is firmly based on observations of the world around me.  

 In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

Art is something I can’t not do. It affects me physiologically, emotionally and spiritually.  The relationship is sometimes healthy and sometimes obsessive.  Mostly obsessive. Art is what gets me going in the morning. What I hold onto when life gets tough. Art is what gives me the stars in my eyes. The fire in my belly. 

It is indeed a complex ongoing lifelong project! There are five imaginary countries (G5, the Great Five Industrial Nations) in total: Contradictoria, Northlandia, Dreamland, the Aristocratic Union and the Republic of Strata.  

These five micro-narratives will eventually weave together a grand narrative of year 2084, portraying my imagined futuristic geopolitical world in a way that teases out the nuances in our understanding of the Anthropocene.  

If you look at all dystopian fiction, the imagination is firmly based in the author’s now and then. Even though my works have a heavy speculative fictional aspect, the work is firmly based on observations of the world around me.  

Your work makes use of the process of photogrammetry using drone images. Can you elaborate on this process and the significance it holds in your work? 
 
While photogrammetry is the application of photographic technologies to infer different information, I borrow the process of photo-stitching, commonly utilized in aerial (or orbital) photogrammetry, to “rebuild” an exterior wall that is otherwise always partly hidden or tilted when viewing it from all possible perspectives in real life. Not only the drone captures the heavily weathered mural on the wall in full view, but also in such detail, showing the flattened chronology of alterations made to the advertisement over the years, as well as erosion caused by rainstorms and UV exposure. 
 
Large advertising boards such as the one captured in this piece can be found throughout Hong Kong’s urban landscape. Can you speak to the influence of Hong Kong in your work?  
 
While large advertisements are ubiquitous in Hong Kong, this advertisement is a mural. Such large-scale paintings are no longer used in advertisements. In Hong Kong Island, I know there are 3 other tobacco advertising murals, if they are not being painted over and the walls are not torn down, and before the weathering wipes out all the traces of the original mural, its changes and decay. I was raised locally in Hong Kong in the 90s, so I guess “Hong Kong” is the way I perceive things, for instance, the relationship between our bodies and compact space has been a common motif in my practice. 
 
In what way has art positively impacted your life? 
 
Art hurts my wallet badly, but once in a while I get lucky and make something I value, and I am happy for a while! 

In what ways do your culture and heritage influence your work?

First, I would like to talk about the “Landscape Remains” series. This collection explores the appearance of leaves of the Royal Palm and their ensuing transformation. I mainly work with paper to create what I call “leaf bodies”— hybrid structures that reside somewhere between two-dimensional sketches and three-dimensional paper craft. Why did I choose Royal Palm? I remember a time when I was walking around a
university campus close to my place, and I came across 2 palm trees. To be more precise, it was the shadows of 2 palm trees on the side of a large building that caught my attention. Subtly altered by the gentle interplay of light and wind, the shadows shifted ever so slightly with varying intensity, casting a dynamic
grayscale pattern across the building’s facade. I stood there for a while, watching, feeling mesmerized by a sense of unique temporality encapsulated within this scene. The Royal Palm’s introduction to Taiwan, sourced from Southeast Asia, dates back to the Japanese colonial period. Considering Taiwan as a strategic point for its ambitions of southward expansion, the Japanese government imported a variety of tropical plants to instill an exotic ambiance on the island. The Royal Palm stood out among these introductions. With its lofty stature reminiscent of Roman columns, it became a key feature in the urban architectural planning of modernization. Consequently, Royal Palm Trees were extensively planted along major roadways, on government properties, and within educational institutions. I hold the view that Royal Palm Trees can serve as a metaphor for culture and heritage, illustrating how both have weathered changes through time and space—some instances led to their removal, others to their preservation, and many have quietly persisted within the nuances of today’s daily life. In my art, I hope there is a certain detachment from direct references to culture and heritage, intending for relevant hints to manifest in a faint, indistinct, and shadow-like manner. Through transformation and complication during the artistic process, the
leaf bodies are crafted to embody both the physical form and the silhouettes while blending effortlessly with the backgrounds.

Your work is ‘hybrid’ in style, possessing both two-dimensional and three dimensional characteristics. Can you elaborate more on this artistic process?
Considering the subject of the artistic work being both palm trees and their shadows, I aim for my works not only to capture figurative attributes of the leaves but also to embody a level of abstraction. At first, I spend some time studying the diverse shapes of palm tree shadows on streets. I capture these observations through photographs or sketches, then gradually model and construct the leaf structures in my studio. This entire process is somewhat similar to the three-dimensional pattern-making techniques used in tailoring, particularly because my goal is to craft the final piece using just a single sheet of paper. During the process, I often engage in a repetitive cycle of unfolding the paper, then folding, shaping, and cutting it to attain the optimal form within the limitations of the paper’s size. Once the shape is established, I move on to coloring the leaves with pencil and charcoal. This introduces another back and-forth dialogue between the two-dimensional image and the threedimensional sculptural form as I work on coloring the pieces. For me, this series of works as “hybrid” structures blurring the line between sketches and paper craft seems to better capture the image of palm trees in our contemporary lives by possessing both two-dimensional and three-dimensional characteristics. With shadows projected onto buildings and grounds across Taiwan, the presence of these palm trees nowadays continues to mirror the shadows from the past through their contemporary resonance.

In what way has art positively impacted your life?

Art makes life a better experience.

  Can you tell us more about your experience of living amongst nature from an early age, and how this has influenced and shaped your practice as an artist?   

Looking back now, I realize that my childhood experiences of nature were a tremendous blessing as an artist. On summer days, when it rained, I would run around catching croaking frogs in the rice paddies by the military base. I vividly remember the sound of gurgling water beneath my feet, the smooth surface of freshly peeled chestnuts, and the rustle of dragonfly wings between my fingers. For me, nature was a spirit of all five senses, and the freedom I found, wandering into the wilderness with my sketchbook and crayons, drawing everything in sight, inevitably led me to the path of art. 

In time, those memories became so ingrained that today they serve as a compass, guiding me to precisely the point I need to return when facing the absurdities of daily life. As I grew up and adapted to society, I was taught to have different personas to fit a given role and was educated in Cold War ideologies under binary modes of thought. 

This was a far cry from the raw freedoms my body could still recall. Nature was a playground for me, a sanctuary that healed the pain of loss and pain of growing, so the heavier that reality became, the more I longed for my former “freedom”. I believe that the fundamental desires of human beings can only be told through the language of art, and the fullness and freedom I felt in unity with nature have inevitably found expression within my paintings. 

Nature holds immense power. I have a strong conviction that I can rejuvenate rigid realities through nature’s energy, and when shared through art, my experiences can become meaningful stories. 

  You mention that your central theme to your work is ‘play’ – what does play mean to you? 

Play is the greatest apolitical act of unity, one that presupposes communion with the other. When play goes beyond the logic of dominance or subjugation, and is true to the instinct to enjoy and become one through the other, we can willingly break down the binaries of subjectivity. 

This horizontal relationship, where we become friends rather than masters and servants, is interesting because if the relationship with the other is one-sided, play is less fulfilling. I recognize this “equality” of play. It is not a uniform equality where everyone wants to be the same, but rather a harmony where each person retains their individuality and enjoys their selfhood, a process that resembles nature. I can approach this harmonious equality through play, just like nature, where differences are valued and equal. The mechanism of play, which relates “back” to the existing order through the fundamental human instinct of playfulness, is also the most romantic way for me to resolve real-life conflicts in my work.  

In any society, various contradictions and absurdities exist, and individual desires and freedoms are suppressed under different systems and ideologies. Play shakes up the artificially established hierarchies that make us feel intimidated and rigid. As I move towards an equality where differences are respected, I become a free being, unique in the world, and after immersing myself in playfulness through my work, I reconcile many of the conflicts within me. 

 In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

To fit into society, we constantly internalize and live with otherness different from our innate nature. Many things are demanded and desired by the social order, but they are far from our fundamental and primal desires. Existing in this flux, we tend to become rigid, atrophied, and alienate ourselves without realizing it. Art allows me to imagine a world beyond the rigid and sometimes oppressive world of human reason, and to move beyond the narrow ego towards a unified self, connected to the universe. This is a journey to discover my individual identity, while also exploring the most primal and universal human desires. The thirst for freedom that I experienced as a child while running around in nature, the yearning for playfulness, can now only be quenched through art. 

  When working, I shed the armor-like shell woven within the competitive and endlessly stratifying capitalist system, and immerse myself wholly in play. As the grand discourses of reality no longer assert their dominance, through art, I rediscover myself, and find the confidence to breathe with the world, in a newfound state of empowered equilibrium. This grants me the strength to confront the absurdity of reality and resolve life’s myriad conflicts with positivity and flexibility. 

You mention nature as a key influence in your work, and in this piece, you draw a parallel between your own transient state as a traveller and that of birds travelling through the sky. What do you hope to communicate about the relationships between humans and nature through your work?  

As in the cities, I realize the best moments to appreciate nature is to see them through little things and little details. Like a tiny flower or a tiny ladybug on the plants at the sidewalk we find while we walk along a busy street with traffic beside us.  When I am on my journey in many busy cities, I love to look high up to the sky, I see birds, they become tiny, sometimes against trees, sometimes against buildings, sometimes against the clouds. For me they are full of poetry if I keep those moments as images and materials to use as “vocabularies”. So, I do hope when audiences see my works, they can feel something they are actually familiar with daily , but only that they might be too busy to pay attention.

 Can you elaborate on the use of collaging in this piece? 

The collage functions as a way to “break down” and then “rearrange”  the ordinary scenes that we suppose to see in our daily life, to turn them into unusual images that we are no longer familiar with. And so, that would bring us the curiosity to look, to search, to think about what we are looking at. Something far away, yet now brings close. and as in this series of work, the size of each single collage is small in size, arrange in a grid format; so in an distance, they make one tidy structure to look at as a whole scene (like things we experience in a city), but at the same time, if we look in a close distance, they have some very dynamic and multiple formations of them (like things in nature).     

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Art brings inspiration for me to find the ways to know how to live under limitations, and so, it brings hope, keeps me believing I can still / at least make things out of my hands, under my own will while sometimes even the personal life or the society is under hard times. It is a comfort and also encouragement on a mental level.   

Can you elaborate on the use of materiality in your work? 

 I am interested in materials and their materiality – what do they signify, what memories and associations do they trigger in us? My works are visual representation of my personal connect, relationship and response to various materials that I use to create art and how they are related to my memory, social conditioning and self-image.  

The materials which inhabit my work broadly belong to three categories – socially weighted and gendered materials such as fabrics like chiffon and lace to substances such as vermillion powder, henna, silk, sandalwood powder, urban materials like jute and tarpaulin and art materials such as oil paint. Each material brings with it its own particular identity, social symbology, weave, texture, structure and colour, which I leverage using a combination of studio and industrial processes often irreversibly altering the inherent properties and contexts to talk about social and gender politics of the material that I am working with.  

Each material has its own historical and social context and I often re-contextualise the same using my personal history and associations with them. I often talk about the material in my work not through its presence but through its absence.  

My  studio process  is both reflective and meditative,  developed through repetitive actions such as layering, tearing, burning, peeling, stacking, folding, bundling, heaping, arranging, compressing and cleaving. These actions and the art works themselves may be read as  metaphors for  the concealment and  revelations, of accumulated experiences as well as an ongoing social commentary on the condition of labour.   

What drew you to creating a series of works that focus on gender identity and gender politics? 

My childhood and upbringing in a small town in India exposed me to an echo-chamber of expectations  from women. There are two key gender markers : marriage and motherhood which largely shape the social expectations of being a woman in India. I started exploring marker of gender identity for married Indian women in my early works and series called ‘Identity II’ by using socially weighted and gendered materials that I encountered as an Indian woman such as vermillion powder, henna, sandalwood powder, turmeric powder etc.  

Another series that I have been exploring through my personal archaeology using chiffon as a gendered material is ‘Production of Desire’. While Identity II was about social construct of gender identity,  Production of Desire is about how Indian cinema of the 1980’s and 1990’s objectified female body and created the iconic image of a sensuously gyrating, hips thrusting female body, clad in a rain-soaked clinging chiffon sari, meant for male gaze. A formulaic creation by cinema, this was a powerful image in my growing up years, which shaped my perception of a desirable Indian woman and how I compared self-image with that constructed image. Using my own body and chiffon as a material, in this series of video works, I explore notions of intimacy, performance and cinema and the ways in which they inform the construction of female identity in Indian society.   

This is a deeply personal series of works, as I assessed my own desirability, especially in my vulnerable teenage years, against these exemplars of the feminine. 

My latest research and works investigate the intricate relationship between gender identity and lace, the politics surrounding its construction, labour, patterns, materiality, and a fabric that sexualizes and eroticizes the female form. The fundamental construction of lace has remained unchanged since its inception in the 16th century; however its gender symbolism has shifted significantly, as a material associated with both female labour and female form. Its history of being exclusively crafted by women makes it a compelling material to explore as an artist. 

Lace has often conveyed issues of gender and sexuality in art throughout its history. Its origins with virgin nuns making it, followed by other women and specifically housewives, symbolize the female labour. It has been instrumental in adorning bodies to convey signals of status, wealth, power, and erotica. In the post-modern era, the construction of lace has evolved to have three significant signifiers: Conceal and Reveal, Adornment, and Fetishism. 

My artistic interests center around the evocative and powerful interplay of lace patterns to captivate and confront the audience, evoking both decorative and uncomfortable sensations on a sensual and visceral level. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

I started my career as a corporate consultant post MBA and moved into art making rather late in my 30’s after a decade long corporate career. Art reconnected me to my love for reading various subjects and understanding the inter-connectedness. I used to be an avid reader in school and college but lost that in corporate world. Suddenly I was reading literature, art history, history of painting, gender and cultural studies, art movements, artists and their inspirations etc. It was very fascinating to discover a different world and the same curiosity and fascination has continued till date. 

Being an artist is also about being vulnerable, being unsure, being lost and questioning my self-image. I fought with these feelings initially, however over years I have come to embrace all these aspects and I don’t try to be sure or right all the time. Off late, this sense of vulnerability drives my works and I like to be in a space where I am constantly exploring my visual language and not too confident about it. This tension fuels my art making  

I am constantly inspired by the social and urban context that I inhabit as well as my personal history as a woman from India. I am intrigued by and curious about various materials that have been part of my growing up years and I use art making as a medium to reinvestigate my personal connect and context.  

I am hugely inspired by the artist Cornelia Parker, who harnesses the potentiality of materials to speak about a diverse range of subjects. I am inspired by how she harnesses the potentiality of materials, fragments them physically and figuratively, and arranges them to create unfamiliar forms, scenarios, and installations.  To me, her powerful visual aesthetics represent intellectually, complex ideas. Other artists that I look up to are Sheela Gowda, Doris Salcedo, Eva Hesse, Rachel Whiteread, Tara Donovan, Ruth Osawa, among many others.  

In my works, I strive to employ simplicity of form and focus on essentials. Although I do not aim to be a Minimalist, the ideology of Minimalism undoubtedly continues to influence the aesthetics and spatial language of my practice. My studio process is both reflective and meditative, developed through repetitive actions such as layering, tearing, burning, peeling, stacking, folding, bundling, heaping, arranging, compressing and cleaving. 

In addition, literature and cinema in various languages and from around the world continue to be major  influences in my life and my work. I incorporated film as a medium in my site specific installation work, ‘Two Tales and a City’ and my current  series of works, titled ‘Production of Desire’ are videos which  dissect the narrative of  sexualised presentations of  the female body in commercial  Indian cinema of  the 1980s and 90s. This  series is  deeply personal and intimate –  part  personal memory and part  social commentary. 

What is the significance of the title you have chosen for this piece?

The title of the work “What Can I Hold You With” refers to Borges’ poem. The “uncertainty, danger, and defeat” mentioned in the poem often permeate through my works. In the drawing, two people are sparring, not attempting to overwhelm or destroy the others, but to maintain a balance of power, which reminds me of this sentence. 

This work is inspired by the behaviour of ordinary people during the Covid-19 lockdowns. What do you hope to communicate about the human condition through your artwork?
 
Our impression of exercise is always intense, it’s always in motion and in progress, but in fact, exercise itself also includes various pauses such as rest and injuries, and so is life itself. I think the experience of lockdowns is similar that it is about how people discipline their behavior and mentality while waiting. People brought indoor sports outside, intersecting in a space that is both public and extremely private. Park itself is a piece of artificial nature in the city, which also contains industrial geometry… These contrasts are intriguing for me. The human condition is always more complicated than you think.  

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Find words and names for things that have no name.
 

What is the significance of colour in this work? 

The artwork captures a striking contrast between vibrant orange and serene lake blue. The fiery orange symbolizes burning flames, embodying danger and unpredictability. This colour choice creates a dramatic backdrop, amplifying the portrayal of human vulnerability and loneliness. On the other hand, the tranquil lake blue evokes a sense of solitude and introspection. These colours work together to heighten the emotional impact of the artwork, emphasizing the notion that we cannot always have complete control over our circumstances. They shine a spotlight on the themes of powerlessness and isolation, reminding us of the fundamental truths of the human experience. When the intense orange and soothing blue blend together harmoniously, it creates a visual narrative that stirs deep emotions within us. The use of colours and techniques in the painting shows how my artistic practice of capturing the complexities of the human condition. I wish to invite the audience to contemplate the delicate balance between strength and fragility, control and surrender through their appreciation of my artwork.

You reference the ‘alienation of urban dwellers’ as a point of inspiration for your work. Can you explain more about this concept?  

My artworks capture the profound sense of isolation and disconnection that individuals experience while living in urban environments. It recognizes that despite being surrounded by bustling cities and throngs of people, there can still be a deep-seated feeling of detachment and loneliness. This concept has served as a wellspring of inspiration for my own artistic endeavors, as I strive to delve into the intricate and sensitive emotions of urban residents. Through the use of cartoon-like characters and surreal settings, I weave together narratives that depict seemingly mundane moments of city life. These visual compositions convey the underlying currents of solitude and suppression that contemporary individuals often struggle with. By employing distorted body postures and surreal atmospheres, I aim to visually articulate the intricate tapestry of emotions and the pervasive sense of disconnection that city dwellers experience within their surroundings. The characters in my artwork become conduits for exploring the complexities of the human experience in urban settings. They embody the struggles and vulnerabilities that are unique to city life, showcasing the internal battles fought amidst the chaotic external environment. Their exaggerated forms and surreal surroundings serve as a visual representation of the emotional turbulence and dissonance that city residents often confront. I aspire to shed light on the nature of urban existence, inviting viewers to contemplate and empathize with the intricate emotional landscapes that lie beneath the surface. By capturing the subtle nuances of isolation and detachment, I hope to create a space for reflection and dialogue about the profound impact of urban environment.

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Art has positively impacted my life by preserving the innocence and authenticity that remains after societal conditioning. It provides a genuine outlet for expressing my true self, showcasing a personal inner self that is authentic and sincere.

You mention that your work advocates the idea of an ‘integrated regenerative system’ for our world. What does this mean to you? 

Being born in a small, rural district in the Northern part of Bangladesh, my childhood can be narrated as episodes outlined by rigorous discipline and control. When I came to Shantiniketan as a student, the picturesque town both nourished me, when I was caught in the rapture of independence, and also challenged me, when I received the news of my mother’s untimely demise. For a while, in nature I saw a vast sea of emptiness. I reconciled my own loss with what I saw in nature; how its remnants are not lost but quite simply reborn. In that phase, the book Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder helped me to understand the word in a logical and philosophical way. This is how I began— not painting, but documenting, observing, understanding.

I do not paint; I quite simply make. I transform everyday materials and those associated with mother nature and rituals, the emphasis is on hand worked processes. I adopt an almost archival, quasi-scientific method of categorizing and documenting various hues, forms, textures, surfaces, as well as materials such as clay, coal, graphite, pulp made from newspapers (to demolish written language and establish visual language), extract colour from flower, bark, seed, leaf, stone and clay thinking of colour as ‘blood of nature’ and a slew of other discarded ephemera found in nature – all in pursuit of understanding its materiality

Can you tell us more about the influence of Buckminster Fuller and the ideas expressed in the book Grunch of Giants in this work?

In this Painting I revisit and worked on the book “Grunch of Giant” by “R Buckminster Fuller” to revive his philosophy and ideology through my working process and visual representation of installation. In the whole working time, I will experiment with organic materials with a concept of materiality in art, in terms with the experience of the phases of COVID 19.

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

I do not paint; I quite simply make. I transform everyday materials and those associated with mother nature and rituals, the emphasis is on hand worked processes. I adopt an almost archival, quasi-scientific method of categorizing and documenting various hues, forms, textures, surfaces, as well as materials such as clay, coal, graphite, pulp made from newspapers (to demolish written language and establish visual language), extract colour from flower, bark, seed, leaf, stone and clay thinking of colour as ‘blood of nature’ and a slew of other discarded ephemera found in nature – all in pursuit of understanding its materiality.

Can you elaborate on your choice to use hyper realism in your work?  

Hyper realism is a technique using a more definite and detailed rendering and is the best on its narrative documentaries, emotive in its depictions and is a full representation of reality. Realistic pieces are easier for people to understand and appealing to wider audience, they appreciate the outer appearance, because of its literal form, and somehow feel the under laying layers, of metaphors, conveying its emotional connections, allowing people to connect on a personal level. For straight forward interpretation, hyper realism paves the way for clarity and familiarity. 

You mention that your piece emulates a ‘celebration of life’. What does this mean to you?  

Art appropriate life, and life is art itself…Art records history, cultures and beliefs, conveys feelings and thoughts. Every aspect of humanity can be expressed through art. On my piece “PPE” the paint palette signifies and emulates the testament of human condition. The doodles of paint compasses all our hardships, our struggles, our celebration of victories, the mixing colour represents our life’s battlefield, it enables us to look within ourselves, realizes who we are. The swirls of colours convey a connection to our inner self and our outer realities and experiences. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

Art has impacted me so much; it encourages self-expression and creativity and builds my confidence as well as my sense of self.  Art plays an integral part of my existence and experience, a profound impact for therapeutic outlet, offers emotional expression, it also serves as my survival, both on my personal growth and as my stable source of living. 

What inspired you to base this piece on a scene from the Taiwanese countryside?  

 When I was a child, my parents left home and work in the city. I lived with my grandparents in the countryside of Taiwan and spent my childhood in the countryside. At that time, I had a sense of inferiority. I thought that the countryside is not as developed as the city. There are only rural areas in the countryside, unlike the bustling city with department stores, restaurants, etc. I often envy the children who live in the city. However, after becoming an artist, I have a different perspective which is the tranquillity and nature in the countryside are more valuable than the city. Therefore, my work with the theme of “Rural Taiwan” is a return to nature. 

Your piece uses both mosaic and watercolour. What do you wish to communicate to the audience by using both mediums?

There is a “temporal” difference between mosaic and watercolour. I once felt a sigh of regret when painting watercolours: I discovered that the storage time of a piece of paper is very short, for example, the paper will turn yellow due to moisture and the paint will change colour. So, I thought if I use natural stones to create a painting, would it stop the elapsed time? All stones will change colour, deteriorate, and even dust after thousands of years and I realized the limitations of existence. I use natural stones to create mosaics in order to preserve the ephemeral eternity. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

I don’t want to elevate the position of art in life to the realm of greatness as I know that there are many more important things in the world than art. However, I believe that art has an irreplaceable ability: sensibility that cannot be conveyed in language can be expressed through art. Therefore, I believe that “artistic ability” is an additional tool for an independent individual to express himself and communicate with others. Such artistic communication is a unique ability of human beings and with incomparable sensibility. 

The choice to craft and present your work as a screen or window positions the viewer as a ‘spectator’. Are there any feelings or emotions that you hope to evoke in the viewer?  

My practice as an artist is always trying to talk directly to my audiences, there are certain feelings that triggered, or say inspired, me to create this artwork. But I do believe once an artwork is finished, the way to interpret it is open. Just like when we talk, the words that come out from my mouth, which I thought can convey my thoughts, might not be exactly the same as what “you” hear.  

Can you tell us about the use of text in this piece?  

I like to play with words in a lot of my art works. As an artist that makes a lot of video works, I want the artwork to look like still images taken from a longer film. That’s why the line visually looks like movie captions. Using a quite standard movie subtitle font and colour, Arial and RGB #FCBE11. By doing this I hope to lead viewers to think about what happens before and after this frame. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

I think being an artist is one way to remind myself to always be an observant audience to the world around us, a reminder to be more sensitive in the day in day out of routines. Artists are active witness of our times and throughout our practice we try to express the way we see and feel the world. 

Can you elaborate on the term ‘urban absurdity’ and how it influences your work? 

Exploring the concept of ‘urban absurdity’ is an integral part of my artistic process. I tend to observe the peculiarities and contradictions in an urban context within our daily routines. It could be as subtle as a fallen petal on a pedestrian path, unable to fulfil its purpose of enriching the soil or blossoming into the next generation. Alternatively, it can be visually striking, such as the sudden emergence of a small mountain overnight due to illegal dumping near my home. These seemingly insignificant observations hold great significance as they contribute to the multi-perspective representation within the confined space of my paintings. 

 Can you tell us more about your use of recycled wood as a medium and the significance of the history it holds? How you go about selecting the right pieces for your work?

Utilizing recycled wood as a medium holds great significance in my artistic practice. Painting, for me, is a time-based art form that captures the artist’s motion and state of mind in different moments. The interplay between wood grain, flowing pigments, and the visual traces created through removal processes are integral to my work. Wood and especially recycled wood have become my ideal medium due to its unique properties. 

Between 2013 and 2019, I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Viva Blue House team on community and heritage preservation projects. This invaluable experience not only deepened my connection to Hong Kong’s history but also exposed me to the beauty of reclaimed wood during domestic and urban renovations. Old wood is a scarce resource known for its exceptional quality. In the past, materials like teak wood were readily available, but they have now become increasingly rare and expensive. Working alongside skilled craftsmen, I discovered the hidden stories and profound history embedded within each piece of reclaimed wood. 

When selecting the right pieces for my artwork, I consider not only the aesthetic qualities but also the narrative and history they possess. The ‘Here and There’ series, for instance, upcycled the reclaimed teak pews sourced from a church, adding an additional layer of meaning to the paintings. The imperfections, such as the imperfect holes and weathered textures, serve as tangible remnants of human livelihood and become key characteristics of the artwork. These elements evoke significant emotions, conveying a deep connection to the land and our city. 

 In what way has art positively impacted your life?

Through the process of creating art, I have found a means to contain and effectively communicate the emotions, ideas, and messages that arise within my restless mind. The repetitive processes of preserving, sanding, washing, and sprinkling serve as a transformative journey, allowing me to witness how my state of mind becomes infused within the material and ultimately, the artwork itself. 

For me, the landscapes I depict go beyond mere pictorial representations. They become vessels that hold our dreams, memories, fears, and moments of pride. Within the landscape, the scattered lights and seemingly insignificant figures, I could capture what still connect us all as human. I take joy in observing how these elements communicate and connect with others, not through verbal language, but rather subtly and abstractly. 

How did you first hear of Yu Lai Wai-ling’s story, and what inspired you to share it? 

I first learned about Yu Lai Wai-ling’s story in secondary school, where it was a sensation at the time. Her story is significant, as it not only sheds light on numerous social issues but also offers a profound insight into the resilience and determination of motherhood. It delves into the intricate interplay between a mother’s imagination and her inner reflections on her son’s reality. 

You began your career as a reporter. How has this influenced your practice as an artist? 

Working at the intersection of art and documentary, I draw inspiration from the stories around me, guided by my observations, journalistic training, and principles. This approach helps me structure the cause and effect of the stories I tell. Through artistic practice, I can explore the depth and texture of these narratives more fully.

Can you tell us more about what drew you to ‘Theatre of the Absurd’ as a point of inspiration and key influence in your work?  

Eugène Ionesco quoted “Absurd is that which has not purpose, or goal, or objective. I connected with these words from the very start of my artistic practice. Finding the meaning through meaningless and chaos. It does not mean that my work lacks rational thinking or logic. But I merely use absurdity as a way of styling my narrative. And the goal of it is to deliberately lead to an idea, in which my contemporaries will not notice the “ideological trick”, nothing that would contradict common sense. My work often focuses on people who find it hard to communicate, also acting as a sort of untangling of my roots and thoughts as an immigrant, a woman, a wife, an artist, and a human being. These are observations and engagements with the past and present and an investigation of how they may reflect on the future. The challenge is to see beyond the chronology and capture something that has been left in the NOW. I am trying to discover the beauty in absurdity also, because to me its outcome always leads to some new life, new narrative, in one way or another. 

 Why do you feel it is important to highlight women’s issues in your art?  

One of the main topics in my work is the emerging identity of women at the crossroads of Central Asian cultures and paths. I started looking at the women of Central Asia when I was doing my research on the Sovietization of Central Asia in 1920-1930. I was also inspired by the film No Fear by Ali Khamraev (1971). No Fear is set during the Russian Civil War, which ended in the 1920s when Soviet power established itself in Central Asia in the wake of the Basmachi rebellion. There is a particular scene in that film, that sparked a great interest and brought significant changes in the way I looked at Central Asian women in the past. I have never thought about the horrors and difficult lives, to say the least, that the Central Asian women have endured. I wanted to look deeper into the history and express my feelings and thoughts in my practice. I address in particular a question such as: “Why do we suppress such memories?” Sovietization led to the ‘unveiling’ of physical and mental state: erasing traditions and removing religion from the cultural memory, triggering the emancipation and liberation of Central Asian women. The result is the loss of their identity. Women in Uzbekistan in this instance of my research, as well as many other countries in Central Asia, became more independent skilled workers during the Soviet period. The Soviet era accelerated the emancipation of women, but hardly for the sake of women and rather for the sake of extra hands to be used for communal work. 

 In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

The biggest impact Art has is to be able to express myself, It is a visual diary of my life, thoughts, and perception of things that I often dwell on. I’d be very pleased if I left that diary behind for people to relate to or to be amused by. This to me would be enough as an artist. I always say that the objective of my work is to obtain certain feelings that one could have by observing my work. I think that people will miscomprehend my work if they start to dissect its metaphors or attempt to understand my logic. Most of the time I am more interested in the emotional elements of my work as opposed to its literal implications and understanding. It’s about how it makes them feel, rather than what they think it might mean. I am amusing myself, collecting pieces together from this world and having fun with what I do, relating to my past, present, and future and that’s what I value the most in my experience. It’s been a positive journey so far and art always gives me that freedom of expression that I desire. 

Can you tell us about the process used to create this photograph? 

The idea of this work happened during a road trip.   At the waterfall in the rainy season there’s a lot of water which created mist on my phone when I tried to take a photo of the waterfall. Water drops on my phone’s screen work as magnify glass which show light cells of the mobile’s retina screen. It shows how the light cells create pictures on my mobile’s screen. Then I recreated this situation again in my studio using a bigger screen with the same technology as the phone. I used a foggy to manually create the mist, sprayed it on the screen and recomposed it in a way like the process of painting. After the arrangement I then took the picture with a professional camera and repeated the process until I got an ideal outcome. 

You use the phrase ‘reality and rearranged reality’ when describing your work. What do you mean by this?  

As I explained the working process in the first question, I tend to have interest in the picture or rather the situation in the image that needed to pay close attention to. The image which irritates the perception, the slight error in the image and then tried to recreate that kind of situation again in front of the camera. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life? 

To me, art brings new perspectives and introduces possibilities in how one can see the world, which bring with it, an acceptance of my own opinions and appreciation of other’s. 

Can you elaborate more on the scene you have created? Why did you choose to depict Mt. Seorak in this piece?  

I created a piece of art that depicts a serene scene of mountains stacked one after another, gradually drifting into the distance covered with fog. The 3D mountain model was created using a topographic map and mold which was used to make a miniature version of Mt Seorak. I chose to portray the Seorak Mountain as Korea’s representative mountain because it perfectly represents the country’s four seasons and is a landmark I have visited frequently.

What message do you hope to communicate to the audience through this work?   

When I created this work, I hoped it would bring the audience a sense of peace or relaxation, even if only for a moment. At the time, I was going through a tough phase in my life and didn’t know how to move forward. So, I decided to visit places that held special memories for me to relive the anguish I was facing. 

I visited several places, and when my mind finally settled, I reached the spot where my most difficult memories were held. As I carefully observed the scenery, I realized it only then. 

As I gazed at the mountain, I noticed how the flowing focused it to appear as if it was moving away instead of standing still, which created a beautiful scene. This made me realize that life should replicate the movement of the fog instead of coming to a halt. Experiencing this gave me the strength to move forward and not forget that moment. I expressed this sentiment in my work, hoping others would also find solace in it and appreciate the beauty of everyday life. 

In what way has art positively impacted your life?

Art brings me comfort and solace to my life, acting as a source of support regardless of my emotional state, be it during moments of positivity or negativity.

What is the significance of the use of precious and semi-precious materials in this piece?   

One of the many ideas that I see as a common thread in my practice is the notion of duality, the binary, and non-binary. It connects with how today we are told the rights and the wrongs while eliminating all the grey areas for which one needs to study the context, history, culture, and numerous other domains. With the technology of today, even the biggest labs can be fooled to differentiate between the fake and the real, the precious and semi-precious. The materials begin to complement each other and build a narrative.  

My use of precious and semi-precious materials is imbued with the above idea, but primarily I overlook their hierarchal significance and treat the materials carefully in my heuristic studio processes. This approach becomes the antithesis of the categorization of matter, and position materials where they begin to complement each other and build a narrative.

Your works directly references a story from Akbarnama, which chronicles of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor. Can you tell us more about the influence of this historical text in your work? 

As a child, I was always attracted to Mughal art and architecture. Later, the music of related Bollywood films glamorized it for me. During my undergraduate studies (2012 – 2015), I trained in a miniature painting studio where I was introduced to relevant text and theories. The folio of Akbar Nama has since then been one of the prime resources for my studio inspiration. 

The period of Akbar can also be seen as the renaissance of the Indian Art. That is when disciplines of Art, Music, Architecture, Literature, poetry, and Design, were funded by the state for the sake of taking the craft forward. Apart from the text, the historicity of Akbar Nama (including its itinerary and where it physically rests now), the Persian language, the style that was led by the school of Mughal Miniature Painting, and the colours used are inevitable areas of my ongoing search.

In what way has art positively impacted your life?  

Art has been similar to a toxic lover who eats up all my lucrative supply and keeps me up for endless nights to resolve arguments. My personality type is evolving only to benefit from the demands of this practice. At times I feel like a honeybee with the sole purpose of making honey (art in my case) and then dying. My studio practice keeps me rational and has given me the tools and vocabulary to read, translate and articulate perceptions from the present time.