'和气' (Harmony)

Materials: Chinese ink, soapy water, straws, and rice paper

 

This participatory performance is designed to  allow the audience to immerse themselves, merge and “be one” with the space. The spontaneous and playful nature of this work suggest to reconceptualise  the notion of  “气” as a play on mutual expressions of spiritual resonance, where we celebrate Chen Wen Hsi’s artistic endeavour by co-creating a collaborative piece with the audience. The idea of creating ink bubbles was first developed by Deborah Ong in her  paintings where she blew bubbles onto the rice paper and allowing them to leave their mark after they disappear. Working upon this method, we later co-developed the bubbles into sculptural forms, through experimental play. As we built upon each other's breath, we were able to form structures that rose and fell. The public soon joined in, and the situation became hilariously creative and fun.

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Context : Chen Wen Hsi has been known to fuse western and eastern modes of painting together. In a statement by Artist Wong Keen, he said: “His Chinese painting eventually merges with Western painting. At the end, you can see some of his colourful crane paintings, which are quite abstract. If he had lived a longer life, I don’t know what he would have done – there might be more exciting, less controlled types of paintings.”

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A participatory work, a collaboration with Deborah Ong and Adrian Tan

Performed at the ‘Homecoming: Chen Wen Hsi Exhibition @ Kingsmead’, organised by Artcommune Gallery , 11 Apr 2019