“There is no colour in the world. Colours are the reflection of light, the tolerance of our eyes, and the purification of the mind. We don’t need colours, only light and faith.”

— Wu Shuang, January 2022

(28 January 2022, Hong Kong) Whitestone Gallery H Queen’s is delighted to present “The Light of Nature '', a solo exhibition of young Chinese artist Wu Shuang. The exhibition shows vibrant works by the artist made between 2019 and 2021. Wu is an Abstract Expressionist painter renowned for her use of strong contrasting colours and surreal images. The exhibition features predominantly Wu’s works produced during the lockdown. In the artist’s own words: “the pandemic has helped me live a more deliberate and creative life, art is the answer”. Centered on human beings and inspired by nature, Wu’s paintings allude to the search for freedom and meaning in life.

During her early practice, Wu found the colours used in screen printing excessively flat and monotonous, and started employing fluorescent colours to enrich the surface and the texture of the medium. She continued to use luminous pigment on canvas in her later practice, and the audacious colour combinations became emblematic of her work. The artist also demonstrates a strong control of compositional elements, depicting powerful images that seem contradicting yet harmonious.

Wu is a constantly evolving artist. From 2019, her work became more poetic and experimental, often referring to her internal struggles and thoughts. The concept of anthropocentrism which considers human beings as the most significant entities in the world is a major thematic focus of Wu. For example, in ‘Words Deluge’ (2020) and ‘Travel Peak’ (2020), the artist conveyed human emotions such as sadness, fragility, and insignificance; whereas in ‘Tentativeness’ (2021), faced with the uncertainty of the world, humans sought permanence within their inner desires; in ‘Of Your Silent Reverie’ (2020), the seemingly reflections of a girl and a tiger allude to the inseparable connection between human, nature and animals. Wu Shuang's works are not just timely but also thought-provoking, representing her adventurous spirit.