Familiar

(2022-2023)

Similar to myself, the otherworld I depict is birthed through hybridization of culture. In a time where cultures are depicted as rigid and separate, only allowing those with genealogical ties to claim ownership, I find myself asking where does a person who grew up in Hong Kong but has lived more than half their life in Texas belong? I have created this otherworld not because I don’t feel like I don’t belong anywhere on the spectrum of cultures I’ve known, it is because I feel that I belong to all of those places simultaneously.

This is a mythological world painted with the fluorescents from the streets of Hong Kong. The color choices take inspiration from the nightclub where my parents were employed when I was a child, as well as the traditional festivities of Hong Kong locals.

BLACK LION

18”x24”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel, 2022

LION & CHIMERA

24”x30”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel, 2022

The ornamental motifs and patterns used in my work celebrate the craftsmanship of those who came before me. In addition to taking inspiration from their original forms, such as Islamic manuscripts and Chinese ceramics, I am also particularly fascinated by European interpretations of various Eastern styles, such as those found in Chinoiserie’s eccentricities, Art Deco’s references to Egyptian and Islamic geometry, and Art Nouveau’s infatuation with Japanese woodblock compositions. The instances of creative interpretation of one culture by another, especially evident in styles like Chinoiserie, serve as points of interest to developing my own approach. Components of these various aesthetic forms become the foundation on which my own vision of “East meets West” is constructed by combining elements from different geographic origins. These elements encompass not only patterns but also painting styles and theories of depicting the natural world.

SPHINX'S CLEARING

36”x48”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel, SOLD

HIGH NOON

36”x48”, Acrylic gouache on cotton rag mounted on panel, SOLD

The mythological subjects in this world are often themselves hybrid animals, be it their biology or their fashion. Chimera monsters have long been used as a metaphor for marginalized and dissenting groups in society throughout art history. Rather than being relegated to the margin as decorations, their hybridized ornamental nature becomes the focus of the composition.

Hong Kong is a complex amalgam of all that has passed through. As a Hong Konger living far away from home, I seek to bring forth this nature. The world has never existed in clearly defined boxes, and it has always been more interesting when we allow ourselves to observe the blurry territories where different cultural motifs and identities overlap to redefine each other in their continuous evolution.