Through the Prism

About

Dancing between abstraction and figuration, the artists in the show explore a kaleidoscopic identity in multicoloured compositions. As modern society often puts considerable focus on assigning labels to our existence, it separates us by nationality, gender, skin-colour. However, identity is far from a singular, static concept; identity is like a prism with multiple refracting surfaces – when the light comes through, one can see its full spectrum of colours. ‘Through the Prism’ brings together artists from disparate cultural backgrounds, displaying unique artworks that unveil kaleidoscopic roots. Devoted to exploring, understanding, and fusing contemporary cultural influences with art historical references, the works in the show are a celebration of mixed heritage and dimensional identity.

About the Artists: Cecily Brown, Jade Ching-yuk Ng, Sougwen Chung, Tracey Emin, Sunyoung Hwang, Eleanor Johnson, Mizuki Nishiyama, Faye Wei Wei.

Mizuki Nishiyama, exhibiting for the first time in London, uses lyrical imagery to explore her Japanese-Chinese heritage and to communicate the themes of human identity, fragility, and vulnerability. Tracey Emin, prominent member of the YBAs and renowned for her provocative works turning intimate autobiography into broader statements about life, exhibits an exquisit series of prints revolving around the exploration of the self, disclosing the artist’s deeply personal yet relatable experiences to illustrate the universality of humanity.

Hong Kong-born artist Jade Ching-yuk Ng’s paintings draw on art historical references and are rooted in the surrealist approach that reveals human encounters as prismatic experiences layered with symbolic imagery. Faye Wei Wei, who also has roots in Hong Kong, features mythical iconography and folklore imagery in her ethereal, pastel-hued paintings that create a dreamlike dimension beckoning the viewer to enter. Eleanor Johnson’s gestural paintings weave together references from art history, folklore, mythology and contemporary sources. They feature a unique balance of positive-negative space where biomorphic forms are captured in the process of becoming.

Cecily Brown laces historical references from 17th Century French Classicism with Abstract Expressionism to create sensuous and dynamic paintings which merge different artistic style. Sougwen Chung reinvents the creative act, modernizing gestural movement while maintaining a classical palette, as evident in her figural fluids studies. The London-based, Korean artist Sunyoung Hwang renders her large-scale, gestural paintings in layers, compelling the viewer to look beyond the surface, while exclusively following an intuitive approach to painting which rejects any preliminary reference.