Exhibition

The exhibition consists of the latest works by Mike Wong. It mainly consists of paintings along with video and the dramatic used of objects.

ART OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS

In these new works, Mike unleashed a cacophony of colours and textures over the canvas and these layers were then scraped off bit by bit with wipers and sticks to create his refreshing and vibrant paintings. This action sometimes surprises even the artist himself. It is like a conversation between the artist and canvas with paint as the language. This act of spontaneous execution revealed traces of what was hidden beneath the layers of paint. Often unhappy with the result, paints are thrown back in until the final result is realised. “I do not stop my struggle with the canvas until I know I am heard.” Mike said.

When a painting is completed, great amount of unwanted paint that was scraped off from the canvas are stored in bottles. The unwanted paint took on a new form. The tangible remains of the intangible exchange between artist and art.

Many of Mike’s paintings have this stained-glass effect as if they are lit from behind. Mike works with acrylic and ink, he has to work fast as the medium dries up rapidly. During this limited time space, he has the opportunity to connect with his subconscious world. “I found a clean line with which my deepest thoughts find God at the other end. I pray without distractions when I paint,” said the artist.

Addition and subtraction are part of the process in Mike’s paintings. What his audience find in his paintings is the creative journey of graceful swoops, delicate spills, muscular swipes and unwieldy drips. The evidence of this journey, which is the discarded dried paint resides in bottles as mementoes of the struggle. From the emotional depth of the artist comes art that invites the viewer into an experience transcending the conscious world.