Overview
“There is no closure in painting. A painting reaches its natural state, and yet this state has no fixed end. By ending a painting, we mean the point at which there is a clear resolution and the unity of the work is visible.” - Aida Tomescu
Flowers Gallery is delighted to participate in Art Basel Hong Kong 2022 with a special solo presentation by celebrated artist Aida Tomescu.
One of Australia's foremost abstract painters, Aida Tomescu's painting projects a compelling presence with a powerful sense of scale and fearlessness. For Tomescu, painting is a form of thinking. Throughout her career spanning over 40 years she has been developing and enlarging the themes and content of her work. Painting here is not passive but a living world, self-forming from within.
In Tomescu's paintings, construction and structure play an integral role. She says, “The structure I’m after develops gradually, as if it is off in the distance... the painting travels to become itself, and find its identity. As I aim for a clarity of direction and for an architecture to emerge, a new organic structure begins inhabiting the work, slowly perceptible, more precarious, fragile - a structure that is not final, never static. It holds within it possibilities for renewal.”
The exhibition centres on Tomescu’s most recent high-energy triptych Folded in Three. Congeries of lines probe deep into the surface of the painting, lending depth and substance in a painting that is both intense and playful. Yet, while the work preserves a feeling of spontaneity, it is the result of repeated build up and erasure and a relentless questioning of the image. Presented alongside the triptych are three pivotal paintings from over a decade. The selection aims at emphasising the internal dialogue within each work, while drawing parallels between paintings from different time periods.
Aida Tomescu Folded in Three, 2022
Also on view
Movana Chen's multidisciplinary practice is rooted in the exploration of communication across cultures, often shredding and repurposing dictionaries, maps and books to create sculptural installations and wearable works that represent new forms of language.
Also on view at this year's edition of the fair, Chen’s large hanging sculptural installation Dreconstructing (2004 - 2008) comprises of 24 of her wearable pieces in one monumental artwork. Individual sections from Dreconstructing have been exhibited and worn in performances around the world, from The Art of Dress at Espace Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong and Singapore, to Sydney Contemporary and Seoul Fringe Festival. Seams and circular apertures within the work remain as evidence of the past interaction of the work with the human body. Dreconstructing is knitted from shredded magazines, which the artist has collected since 1997. The material incorporates multiple languages, Chinese, Japanese, English, and Korean, reflecting the intention of Chen's work to connect across borders.
On display in an online viewing room will be eight handembroidered jackets from Jakkai Siributr’s wearable Phayao-aPorter project. Thai artist Jakkai Siributr works primarily with textiles. He is known for his intricately handmade tapestries, quilts and installations, which convey powerful responses to contemporary and historical societal issues in Thailand. Siributr's Phayao-a-Porter project was launched in 2021 as a way of supporting artisans and studio assistants whose businesses and livelihoods were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Siributr works with found and pre-used garments, which are embellished with unique appliqué designs, featuring inventive figurative beadwork and meticulously embroidered thread. Siributr has invited artisans from Phayao province in northern Thailand to contribute to making the Phayao-a-Porter jackets, working in collaboration with his studio. 30% from the sale of each jacket is given back to the community as scholarships, healthcare and emergency funds. A limited number of unique personalised jackets will be available in the online viewing room by commission from the artist.
For further information, please enquire below.