• ACAE Gallery
• Time: Oct 30,2024

Crystal Wu 吴舫: Symphony of Colours

Crystal Wu, West Lake, Hangzhou, 2023 Acrylic on canvas, 60cm x 80cm

Through her painterly abstractions, artist Crystal Wu explores the the sensation known as love. More than wishing to communicate a general impression of love, however, Wu is interested in dissecting the specific aspects and varieties of that changeable feeling. For instance, the portrayal of love's courage, as exemplified in the works of the Russian-French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is one such point of inspiration. In contrast, the comforting aspect of familial intimacy as seen in Paul Gaugin’s painting ‘The Two Sisters’ provides another point of departure. Notwithstanding Wu’s interest in Western art, however, her visual points of reference have often been localities in her homeland of China. Such well-known settings as West Lake in Hangzhou and the famed porcelain town of Jingdezhen are examples here. Her depiction of West Lake as a place that has long attracted romantic lovers, is characterised by vivid colours – a purple sky, yellow mountains and turquoise water. All such factors suggest a heightened sense of reality, leading back to the elevated sensation associated with close attachment. In contrast, one blue and white painting is suggestive of the arabesques and patterns associated with the decorative vases of Jingdezhen, many of which include scenes of couples courting. There is a warmth of feeling in Crystal Wu’s paintings, one moreover that is easily connected to love in all its dimensions. Her new series of paintings, which were recently created in Shanghai will now be presented at ACAE Gallery, Melbourne.