Dépayesment

(change of scenery; the feeling of not being at home, in a foreign place)


Aesther Chang’s paintings explore the intrinsic relationship between art-material and the human spirit by way of abstraction qua process. With hues bleeding between foreground and background, the mixed media canvases that make up this exhibition capture imaginary landscapes conjured from memories of natural excursions and the disoriented sense of identity derived from being in foreign lands. What remains is the freedom of being; reality, devoid of any intrinsic identity.

Chang’s works also draw from the natural processes of erosion and decomposition, capturing the liminal stage between life and death. These works, rife with patterns of process, center decay and blight by referencing the sublime death of the tulip flower. To embrace decay is to accept that we are all but transient beings on this planet- our bodies as well as the material world are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. The only thing untainted by time is the human spirit. Made with layers of natural pigments and free improvisation, these paintings essentially call for a turn toward meditation to touch the spirit. The final works directly invite viewers to reflect upon their surfaces and realize a deeper dimension within one’s very own being- a transcendental realm beyond the body and mind. To unlock this realm, one must go inward.