“Even if a memory disappears completely, the heart retains something. A slight tremor or pain, some bit of joy, a tear.” - Yoko Ogawa, The Memory Police
Every couple of years I go back to Taiwan, a place where things are constantly changing, where the modern meets the traditional; New high-rise apartments are contrasted with the old Buddhist Temples. Childhood memories of my country of birth overlap with the memories of Taiwan of the present, creating an amalgamation of different and false recollections.
Opening (Up) is about this fragmentation and the amalgamation of living memory. Using these ideas as a base, I explore layers of abstraction with memory being one such layer. In doing so, I aim to push the boundaries and the craft of painting. My approach to painting requires that I work iteratively, beginning with small square paintings to test compositions, color palettes, and explore new ideas. I then instinctually pick out the successful parts of these squares and combine them to create something new at a larger scale.
