May 10 to May 29, 2022
Location: Emergence Gallery
Presented by: Wen Tong
“As a scientist and explorer I have a duty to bear witness to the Splendours of the World.” Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
Wen Tong gets flashes of inspiration through living her life. These may be the unexpected consequences of meditative practices; a state of mind that carries over to her everyday experiences. These visions are triggered by the world around her and they reshape moments into a fresh perspective. These perspectives are unknown to those unaware. Wen’s work aims to share this knowledge, to show that the world is magical. Sight is the simplest sense experience to transfer and thus she is a visual artist. She creates works in the style of magical realism.
Wen aims to tell narratives; to express “poetic” truth. She imagines scenes and scenarios, populated with characters and objects. These events are somewhat familiar experiences shared by most viewers. However, elements are rearranged for the sake of freshness, to bring attention to the mundane.
Wen takes great care to document the things, places and people in her life through photographs. These photos and the occasional found image will serve as the references. Thus, her art is connected to her personal life. She wants to communicate her lived experience, one she personally can validate to tell a faithful story. She hopes that viewers leave with a new awareness.