Christine Ay Tjoe 'Spinning in the Desert' at White Cube, Hong Kong

White Cube Hong Kong is pleased to present an exhibition of works by Christine Ay Tjoe. Produced during the past year, this new series of large-scale paintings are a response to the changes imposed on our lives during the pandemic, and the potential for inward reflection this has offered.

Intuitive, gestural and deeply expressive, Ay Tjoe’s working practice requires intense periods of concentration, during which the artist enters an almost trance-like state. Abstract compositions are built up from expressive mark-making, often converging towards a point of energy and a dense, build-up of colour in the centre of the canvas.

Focusing on the idea of ‘ingrown’ shoots, or growth from within, the paintings form part of a body of work that the artist began in 2020, and centre on the premise of a re-organisation of human needs from an internal perspective. Each is titled after the biological term ‘cryptobiosis’, which refers to the state of extreme inactivity that an organism enters into in response to adverse environmental conditions, when all measurable metabolic processes stop. ‘This is about the specific, rare, and beautiful ability of living things,’ she has said. ‘Cryptobiosis offers the idea to virtually halt movement and any definite aim ahead; offering possibilities for a longer life and greater hope instead.’

Christine Ay Tjoe Hong Kong 2021 EXHIBITION.mp4 from Ocula on Vimeo.