Given that they are made of paint and occupy a two-dimensional picture plane, many of Ju Ting’s artworks appear to fall under the category of painting. However, through her ability to exploit the malleable plasticity of acrylic paint, Ju reveals the possibilities of the draped, sliced, or torn picture plane, breaking through the tradition of painting and into the sculptural realm.
In representative series like ‘Untitled’ (2015–ongoing), ’+-’ (2016–2018), and ‘Pearl’ (2016–ongoing), Ju engages in the act of manipulating different painted surfaces. In ‘Untitled’, the artist layers contrasting coats of dense acrylic paint and incorporates surface imperfections such as tears and cuts to selectively reveal the layers beneath. For ’+-’ and ‘Pearl’, the thickly painted surface is slashed with sharp tools to create long, vertical slits, articulated through chromatic, tonal, and textural contrasts.
Depending on the juxtaposition of major or minor tonal keys, the emotions that the artist’s compositions evoke can vary between subtle and dramatic. In Untitled 102220 (2020), for example, she drapes languid, vinyl-like layers of aubergine, mint, and a muted, smoky blue—which, like her fondness for acid yellow, is a recurring tone in her work—against a deep navy and a torrid cadmium green, resulting in a dynamic colour palette that is equal parts sensual and subdued.
