Home of wanderers

22 Aug - 6 Sep 2024

Otomys, Melbourne

Twenty-four poems - The Delineation of looks

Tang Dynasty, Situ Kong (837 - 908)

The Soul in a state of absolute serenity
A moment that uncovers pure innocence
As though seeking shadows on water
As though describing the beauty of spring
Wind and cloud change their form
The spirit of flower and grass thrives
Sea billows roll
The ruggedness of mountains
All like the magnificent law of the universe
All like particles of dust
Break free from appearance to gain true likeness
And these are qualities of those who can portray nature

Artist Statement

Home of Wanderers is the culmination of my latest exploration into the realm of reimagined landscape paintings. Through a blend of techniques and influences, this series of work emphasises revealing the unfamiliar within the familiar.

Unlike landscape works created on the basis of plein-air studies, direct observation of nature or references to photography, my artistic practice is rooted in imagination and memory, together with the study of pre-modern Chinese paintings. By incorporating multiple perspectives within one work, following the old masters of China, I merge disparate viewpoints into cohesive landscapes. Examples such as The Sound of Strings and A Thousand Years showcase this approach, blending near and far, eye-level and bird's-eye views to create immersive scenes that stretch from foreground foothills to distant peak and backdrops. These works attempt to transcend the limitation of the familiar fixed point of view depictions. Such practice somehow also resonates with Cubist artists’ departure from traditional rules of perspective.

Drawing inspiration from the fluidity of ink and water painting, I employ smooth brushwork and simplified forms to create ethereal landscapes that blur the line between reality and imagination. In some works, I have spontaneously layered translucent marks, aiming to add a state of uncertainty and fragility to the image. The trees, rocks, and the water and mist in the valley are all familiar components of the nature, however, the reoccurring youngsters, village houses and fishing boats are borrowed from centuries old Chinese landscape paintings, symbols of my personal nostalgia. Together with the manipulation of composition and perspective, the imagined colour, and the absence of real-world light and shadow, all have contributed to a feeling of unfamiliarity, mystery and quirkiness that transcends time and space.

Over the past decade of my artistic journey, I have created different series of works- abstract, figurative and conceptual, all guided by my ongoing inquiry into the myriad possibilities embodied in landscape paintings. One important part of my practice is to self-question the intent behind the images created and to understand its potential to evoke emotions and how it influences our perception. To this end, viewers may enter a liminal space, where physical materiality belies the ineffability of existence and the fragile nexus between visible form and mutable spirit.