‘Her Song: Abstract Compositions By Tina Buchholtz And Tsang Chui Mei’ Exhibition Catalog by Karin Weber Gallery

HER SONG: ABSTRACT COMPOSITIONS

BY TINA BUCHHOLTZ AND TSANG CHUI MEI

她的歌: 抽像構造 Her Song: Abstract Compositions by Tina Buchholtz and Tsang Chui Mei

她的歌: 抽像構造 2020

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HER SONG: ABSTRACT COMPOSITIONS BY TINA BUCHHOLTZ AND TSANG CHUI MEI

TINA BUCHHOLTZ

9th January to 22nd February 2020

Sky And Earth Bowl

pigments and glass on canvas, 50 x 50cm, 2019

INTRODUCTION

引言

Karin Weber Gallery is proud to announce its first exhibition for 2020, a dialogue on abstraction between two female artists from different cultural backgrounds. ‘Her Song: Abstract Compositions by Tina Buchholtz and Tsang Chui Mei’ celebrates the artists’ respective journeys towards abstraction as their chosen form of artistic practice. Although both artists draw from the school of ‘Western’ abstraction in their formal education and still reference key American artists such as Jackson Pollock and Joan Mitchell today, there is equal recognition of the presence of similar themes and philosophies in much of traditional Chinese painting.

凱倫偉伯畫廊很榮幸呈獻2020年的首次展覽，來自不同文化背景的兩位女藝術家之間圍繞抽象的對話。「她的歌: 抽像構造」歌頌了藝術家們各自選擇邁向抽象藝術作為她們實踐創作的旅程。雖然藝術家從傳統教育學習得來的“西方”抽象藝術汲取靈感，並借鑒著名的美國藝術家傑克遜·波洛克和瓊·米切爾等，但傳統中國畫的元素和理念也被運用。

Having commenced her career as a figurative painter, German Tina Buchholtz began to ‘dissolve’ her landscapes in favour of colour fields and textures roughly twenty years ago. Whilst nature remains a primary influence, Buchholtz’ works respond to current events and frequently reflect her own emotions and memories; a balancing act between reflecting on external influences and an entirely personal, internalised subjectivity. For this show, we are excited to feature a range of works that engage directly with Chinese themes — a colour palette and creative process that stems directly from classic Chinese ceramics and gives this very special line of work a uniquely Asian twist. Hong Kong artist Tsang Chui Mei also looks back over a similar time period for a process of blurring boundaries between elements of surrealism and abstract expressionism, more aligned with allegedly ‘Western’ traditions, and the multiple perspectives and freedom of form that denotes free-style Chinese painting. Yet Tsang retains minuscule, delicate references to natural subjects in her work — icicles, mountains and natural structures serve to anchor a viewer in each work, yet also underline their independence from naturalist visual references.

來自德國的Tina Buchholtz初期擅長人物畫。大約20年前，她開始以色塊和紋理來構造畫面。儘管自然依然是主要的靈感，Buchholtz的作品回應時事，經常反映自己的情感和記憶——在反思外在影響與完全個人的內在主觀之間取得平衡。我們很高興今次展覽能展示一系列與中國主題相關的作品——源於傳統中國陶瓷的色板和創作過程。香港藝術家曾翠薇試圖模糊超現實主義和抽象表現主義之間的界限，聯繫所謂的“西方”傳統及中國寫意畫中的多點透視和形態的自由奔放。曾氏的作品中保留了對自然中衍生之微妙、細緻的參考。冰柱，山脈和自然結構不僅在每件作品中吸引觀眾，同時也突顯了他們與自然主義視覺參照物的獨立性。畫筆早已不再是Tina Buchholtz和曾翠薇的主要創作工具，相反刮刀、皺紋膠紙和塑型膏有助她們追求構圖的和諧和獨特個性。對Buchholtz和曾氏來說，這次展覽絕對是她們給觀眾沉浸並參與其中的一個邀請。

Both Tina Buchholtz and Tsang Chui Mei have long departed from the paintbrush as their primary artistic instrument — spatulas, masking tape, modelling paste and water jets provide important tools in their ongoing quest for harmony and a sense of unique personality in their compositions — for Buchholtz and Tsang, ’Her Song’ is confidently her own, an invitation for the viewer to immerse themselves and participate.

IN CONVERSATION WITH TINA BUCHHOLTZ On Her Personal Journey And Evolution As An Abstractionist “Painting has always been part of my life and whilst my background lies in figurative painting, the more I worked, the more I was fascinated with the subject of colour in its own right. Gradually, the landscapes dissolved, in favour of landscape-inspired colour fields and clouds. So I can honestly say that abstraction discovered me, rather than the other way around, perhaps as a logical conclusion of my own development and maturity. Having my own artistic ‘signature’ and unique style are non-negotiable for me - I developed my own techniques almost from the beginning as I began to experiment with my spatula tool.”

On Themes “Some of my works explore political developments (eg, Exodus, Ground Offensive), or emotions and memories, so a spectrum between relative objectivity and personal subjectivity. For me uniqueness, my own personal signature, is crucial, as is authenticity. I am also very excited about the interaction between a work and its viewer. A painting can trigger so many associations, link to music, personal memories and so much more. This is what I experience in conversations with viewers, collectors and mere onlookers.”

On Cross-Cultural Influences On Abstract Art “I don’t believe at all that abstraction is a Western concept. While I did engage with Jackson Pollock and some other artists they did not directly influence my style. Nature remains my greatest inspiration. I can easily be working in my garden and discover a fascinating structure, either by surface or by colour. This remains my strongest fascination.

On The Future “What comes next? - I am really not sure. All my (artistic) developments have been unplanned, such as new techniques and stylistic expressions. It always has to be unique to me. For sure, something will change again stylistically, What will never change is my expectation of highest quality, uniqueness and authenticity”

When I look at Eastern Abstract art, I am drawn to the historic references, to calligraphy as well as floral and occasionally ornamental themes. I find that these works exude a great sense of harmony, and stand out for their meticulous execution. In Western abstraction, often there are more provocative, disturbing undertones. This is not necessarily a differentiator of quality, but simply something that I notice.”

On Gender And Its Influence On Abstract Art “The influence of gender can be traced to the fact that female artists, especially women abstractionists, have not had an easy ride in the past and the present. So I feels that in their compositions, female artists have a deeper, more conscious, and possibly more serious, engagement with their own work. I personally don’t find female abstract art as ‘aiming to please’ or superficial. Don’t take this as a direct contrast to male artists, both sides will have certain tendencies either way.”

與TINA BUCHHOLTZ對話關於她作為抽象主義者的個人旅程與演變「繪畫一直是我生活的一部分。雖然我初初擅長畫人物畫，但當我創作越多，我著迷於顏色可以作為主題。漸漸地，景觀改變了，取而代之的是受景觀啟發的色域和雲層。老實說，是抽像發現我，而不是我發現抽像。也許這是我自身發展和成熟的邏輯結論。我幾乎從一開始就發掘了屬於自己的技術，因爲我初初嘗試使用的工具正正是繪畫角刀，而我獨特的藝術色彩與風格是不可轉讓的。」關於跨文化對抽象藝術的影響「我不相信抽像是一個西方的概念。當我看傑克遜•波洛克和一些其他藝術家的作品，他們並沒有直接影響我的風格。大自然仍是我最大的靈感。我最著迷的方式是我可以輕鬆地在自己的花園里工作，並通過畫面或顏色發現迷人的結構。

關於主題「我的一些作品探討政治發展（例如《出埃及記》，《地面進攻》），情感或記憶，因此涉及相對客觀和個人主觀之間的範圍。對我而言，個人風格很重要，呈現真實也一樣。我對作品與觀眾之間的互動也感到非常興奮。一幅畫可以觸發許多的聯繫，連接音樂、個人記憶等。這是我在與觀眾，收藏家和旁觀者交談過程中所經歷的。」關於未來「接下來會發生什麼？我真的不確定。我所有的藝術發展路程都是沒有預先計劃，例如新技巧和風格的表達。它對我來說是獨特的。可以肯定的是，某些東西會在風格上再次產生變化，而不變的是我對最高質量，獨特和真實的期望。」

觀看東方抽象藝術時，我被歷史文獻中的書法、花卉和裝飾主題所吸引。我發現這些作品散發出極大的和諧感，並以其一絲不苟的創作手法脫穎而出。在西方抽像中，通常存在更多挑釁、令人不安的色彩。我覺得這不一定是質量的差異。」關於性別和其對抽象藝術的影響「性別的影響可以追溯到一個事實，當女性藝術家不論在過去或現在並不容易，尤其是女性抽象主義者。亦因爲她們的處境，我覺得女性藝術家對自己的作品有更深刻及更認真的參與。我個人並不認為女性抽象藝術為“旨在取悅”或是膚淺。不要將此與男性藝術家直接對比，無論哪種方式，彼此都會有一定的傾向。」

IN CONVERSATION WITH TSANG CHUI MEI On Her Personal Journey And Evolution As An Abstractionist “For me, the transition into abstracts began in the 2000s, when my works with textured brushwork intertwined with daily objects such as tiny chairs, a suspended window or plants to create imaginary scenes. I would describe my style as a hybrid of western surrealist and abstract expressionism that appropriates the visual language of “free-style” Chinese painting. Colours, lines, perspective and composition constitute for my forces capable of projecting emotions. My works speak often of a psychological intensity. The awareness of the transience in a fast-paced life makes things, whether material or mental, fragmentary.” On Cross-Cultural Influences On Abstract Art “Abstract painting is a ‘Western’ concept in the context of Western art history. But abstraction is a distinctive characteristic in freehand Chinese ink paintings where details are generally ignored. I feel that Contemporary Abstract art should be appreciated from a viewpoint devoid of geographical or cultural tethering.“ On Gender And Its Influence On Abstract Art “In my view, female artists approach abstraction in a different manner than their male counterparts. For example, Agnes Martin (1912 – 2004) created serene paintings composed of grids and stripes pared down to the most reductive elements to encourage a perception of perfection and to emphasize transcendent reality. One could feel a feminine sensibility in between her structural works. However, I prefer to take an approach like Helen Frankenthaler (1928 – 2011), an American abstract expressionist female painter who stated: “For me, being a ‘lady painter’ was never an issue. I don’t resent being a female painter. I don’t exploit it. I paint.”

On Themes “My current works contain partial abstraction. Forms are still evident as many white lines and small patches represent the images of glass shards/ icicles, or debris scattered around. The forms of these lines bring “impulse” onto the canvas to conjure up a sense of space and rhythm. The repetition of these patches in random arrangements creates a kind of visual beat that captures a sense of movement and represents the dynamic forces in nature. There are symbolic associations e.g. like the wind blowing, sunlight sparkling in the sky and so on. It is a kind of imagery, not totally abstract which sometimes reflects extreme climatic conditions in vast, abandoned areas or scenes of explosion, erosion and melting representing destruction and decline.” On The Future “My work develops and evolves over time... Hopefully it can speak for itself and express whatever it says to the viewer. In my current works, motif is the scene and it’s the recurring theme. It is the imaginative scene as a metaphor, full of fragmentary memories and fantasies. I will explore and research, interpret more about my belief in the balance between human existence and life, a realm of true-heartedness and sincerity from which one can emerge as a one with independent self-hood.”

I have been positioning my work as genderless, I have been seeking and eager to visualize a “correct balance” in my works. As I believe the importance of harmonizing opposite energies, which is inspired by the concept of positive and negative space and the principle of Yin and Yang.”

與曾翠薇對話關於她作為抽象主義者的個人旅程與演變「對我來說，邁向抽象的過渡始於2000年期間。當時我的紋理筆觸作品與日常物件交織在一起，例如小椅子，懸吊的窗戶或植物，以創造虛構的場景。我將自己的風格形容為中國寫意畫中的視覺語言，西方超現實主義和抽象表現主義的混合體。顏色、線條，視角和構圖形成了我表達情感的力量。我的作品經常談到一種心理強度。在快節奏的生活中，瞬態的意識使事物零碎，無論是物質上還是精神上。」

關於主題「我目前的作品包含部分抽象。因爲許多代表玻璃碎片/冰柱或碎屑圖像的白線和小塊散落在畫布上面，所以形態仍然很明顯。這些線條的形態將一股推動力帶入畫面以喚起空間感和節奏感。隨機排列而重複的碎片營造出一種捕捉生動効果並代表自然中動力的視覺節拍。也有象徵式的聯繫，如風吹拂、太陽在天空閃閃發光等。這是一種不完全抽象的意象，有時反映出廣闊無人地區的極端氣候或代表破壞和衰落的爆炸、侵蝕和融化的場景。」

關於跨文化對抽象藝術的影響「抽象繪畫在西方藝術史的上是『西方』的概念。但抽象是中國寫意畫中一個顯著特點，即通常忽略細節。我覺得欣賞當代抽象藝術應該撇除地理或文化的束縛。」

關於未來「我的作品會隨著時間發展和演變……希望它能為自己說話，並向觀眾表達任何它所表達的。在我現在的作品中，場景是重複出現的主題。這是一個作爲比喻又富有想像力的場景，充滿了零碎的記憶和幻想。我會探索、研究和詮釋更多我對人類生存與生活之間的平衡，對人們可以在一個真心誠意的領域成為一個獨立自我的人的信念。」

關於性別和其對抽象藝術的影響「我覺得女性藝術家以不同於男性藝術家所採取的方式對待抽象。例如，艾格尼絲•馬丁（19122004）創作由格子和條紋，到簡化到最少的元素組成的寧靜的畫作來以鼓勵人們對完美的感知和強調超然現實。人們可以感覺到她作品結構之間的女性觸覺。但我更喜歡美國抽象表現主義女畫家海倫•弗蘭肯塔勒（ 1928-2011年）的方法，她曾說：「對我來說，成為女畫家從來不是問題。我不討厭當女畫家。我更不會利用這個角色。我只會畫畫。」我一直定位我的作品為無性別，並一直尋求和渴望可形象化我的作品爲「正確的平衡」。受到正負空間概念以及陰陽觀念的啟發，我相信協調相反能量的重要性。」

ARTWORKS TINA BUCHHOLTZ

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