Nancy Tong

Inflection

12.02.20 – 29.02.20

My work merges a long artistic tradition of Chinese ink art with the science of folding. The three-dimensional-based paintings in this latest body of work – Fold, is full of sensuality and tactility. They are a spontaneous, harmonic and abstract composition borne out of destructive action and emotional expression of my subconscious mind to the current social situation in Hong Kong.

Memory has informed the concept behind this body of work. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my father working on his revolutionary folded design for carton packaging. The discussion and art of folding became a daily expression in our lives together. The use of black pigment originates from my training in Chinese calligraphy. The intensity of black paint in juxtaposition on raw canvas, echoes the black ink on rice paper found in Chinese ink art. Geometrical shapes are my starting point for an exploration of form and process. I employ the use of charcoal soft edges as an expression of my desire to push the boundaries of conventional geometrical abstraction. Each of my works involves a constant dialogue with the material through the intimate feeling of my hands, to bring out the dynamism within via folding.

Fold is a minimalistic representation of how the act of destruction can become the reconstruction of a new shape or expression. It generates a sense of sweeping movement to capture the nature of space, movement and time.