Art Projects Gallery is proud to present “INTERTWINE”, award winning Malaysian artist, Chong Ai Lei’s first Hong Kong solo exhibition.
Chong has been fascinated by the human figure ever since the beginning of her artistic career more than a decade ago. Her exploration of the genre goes beyond the physical compositions, expressing the underlying human psyche and emotions.
For “INTERTWINE”, Ai Lei has created two series of works exploring a common thread of the human subconscious and introspection. In one of the series, Chong visualizes a person’s struggles with her inner thoughts and feelings; sometimes self-reassuring, while at times conflicting; depicted through two female figures intertwined with each other in a variety of poses and juxtapositions, with hints of the state of their relationship within the painting subtly articulated through details such as facial expressions, hand gestures and postures. This series of works are like a reflection of life, with the various compositions expressing the constant search for a state of balance, when one is faced with dilemmas and challenges, whether it is fear, loss or desire.
The second collection of works in the exhibition portrays a single female subject. The energetic movements and the flowy hair exude a sense of dynamism and freedom, giving each of the portraits a sense of confidence and self-indulgence. Again the boundary between feelings and the sub-conscious is fuzzy, as one immerses in her own thoughts and fantasy world, oblivious to the world around her; she is frozen in the “moment” and skillfully captured by the artist.
Chong Ai Lei (b. 1985, Johor, Malaysia) gained her Diploma in Fine Art at Dasein Academy of Art, Kuala Lumpur in 2005. She has focused on the figure since the beginning of her career.
In 2010 and 2011, she received Honourable Mentions Award from the Freeman Foundation Asian Artist Program, Vermont Studio Centre, USA. In 2012, Ai Lei emerged as one of the main winners in the Malaysian Emerging Artist Award. She caught the attention of serious art collectors regionally and generated a group of followers.
Her first solo exhibition, ‘P!NK’ was held at Sangkring Art Space, Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 2013. And second solo exhibition ‘In The Room’ was held at Galeri Canna, Jakarta, Indonesia in 2016. With consistent participations at group exhibitions throughout the region, she is represented by art galleries in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. The artist lives and works in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Artist Statement
Self-control is often a struggle in the face of insatiable desire, fear, entrapment, dilemma and so on. However, through the subconscious and self-reflection, we can find a balance.
We pursue the excitement of a life full of motion and fresh changes, unconsciously exposing our own greed, while satisfying our desires and psychological satisfaction.
With regard to this complexity of human emotions, we look for the blurred boundary between feelings and the sub-conscious, to revel in our inner intangible desire and fantasy.
Despite the contradictions in the external environment, the realm of the sub-conscious becomes a bridge between the fragile mood and the mind.
~ Chong Ai Lei
藝途畫廊荣幸呈獻，屢獲殊榮的馬來西亞油畫家鍾愛麗的香港首度個展 《交織》。
自鍾氏的藝術生涯開始以来，她就一直著迷於研究人體形態。她對這方面的的探索，超越了人體外在形態和動作的層次，表達了潜在的人類心靈和情感。
在是次展览《交織》中，鍾氏創作了兩個系列的作品，探索人類潛意識和自我反省是这两个系列作品的共通之处。 在其中的一個系列中，鍾氏通過兩鍾女性人物，描繪她們以各種姿勢互相交織，透過她們的面部表情，手勢和姿勢等細節來表達一個人的內心思想和感情的掙扎，時而自信、時而矛盾。 這一系列的作品就像是生活的反映，通过作品人物中的各种组合表現出人類在面對困境和挑戰時，無論是恐懼、失落還是慾望，都不斷地尋求平衡的狀態。
展覽中的另一個系列則以描繪一位女性為主題。精力充沛的動作和飄逸的頭髮散發出活力和自由的感覺，賦予每一幅畫像自信和自由奔放的感覺。作品中的人物，沈醉在自己的想法和幻想之中，忽視了自己身處的空間，鍾氏巧妙地捕捉了人物此時此刻像被時空凝結了的情緒，再一次模糊了感覺與潛意識時間的界限。
鍾愛麗( 出生於1985年，馬來西亞柔佛）2005年在吉隆坡达尔尚藝術學院獲得美術專業文憑。鍾氏自從事美術生涯以来至今，一直專注於人物創作。
於2010年和2011年，她獲得了美國佛蒙特藝文中心（Vermont Studio Centre）所頒發的Freeman基金會亞洲藝術家計劃榮譽獎。 鍾愛麗是2012年度馬來西亞新興藝術家大獎的主要獲獎者之一。 她引起了許多藝術收藏家的注意，漸漸地吸引更多喜歡她作品風格的追隨者。
鍾愛麗的第一次個人展覽“P！NK”於2013年在印度尼西亞日惹的Sangkring藝術空間舉行。第二次個展“In Room”於2016年在印度尼西亞雅加達的Galeri Canna舉行。活躍於地區性的聯展，鍾氏在馬來西亞、新加坡、印度尼西亞和香港都有她的代理畫廊。 她現時在吉隆坡生活和工作。
藝術家的自述
人們對於永無止境的慾望、恐懼、困惑、矛盾等問題往往難以拿捏和掌控，但透過潛意識的自我反思和對話，我們能夠從中獲得平衡。
我們追求著充滿狂舞與新鮮變化的生活內容，雖不自覺地暴露貪婪的自我，卻同時能收穫慾望與心理的滿足。
對於這種聯繫的構成，我們總希望能夠在情感上與潛意識之間的模糊邊界中探索，並且反映我們內心深處不為人知的無形渴望與幻想。
儘管外界環境所帶來縱橫交錯的複雜性，卻也成為了脆弱情緒與思緒之中的橋樑。
- 鍾愛麗 |
