In my search and contemplation about ways of painting, I turned to a Chinese artists that I admire – Qi Baishi. His famous saying, ‘Painting must be something between likeness and unlikeness’ inspired me to experiment with different ways to paint my Family Dinner #2. Here is an image of my original painting in oil on Cheongsam shaped canvas:
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METHOD
I started by doing some quick paintings of the individual dishes using Chinese painting materials: Chinese paint brushes, ink and rice paper.
Flower crabPan fried sliced luncheon meat
Here is the overall composition marked out on a long Chinese scroll of rice paper:
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Work in progress:
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Completed painting – Chinese ink on Japanese Moon Palace (rice) paper, 114x46cm.
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I felt the composition was too uniform and too neatly laid out. Hence I attempted another version with further abstraction to explore ‘unlikeness’:
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REFLECTIONS
I enjoy painting in oil very much. I like the feel of the material, the viscosity when undiluted, the way it pushes against my palette knife or brush when painting impasto and then the luminosity when diluted. But painting in oil takes time (for me anyway) and I enjoy taking that time. I also like coming back to ‘play’ with the painting over several days.
Painting in Chinese brush and ink is a much quicker process. I can do several paintings in a day. Something about the materials make me want to paint fast with vigour. So I was pleased to do the Family Dinner explorations here using Chinese painting materials, it helps me to loosen up – both in my brush strokes and in my thinking.
One of the points I took away from my Unit 2 feedback was to paint more, and more. There was a question in the feedback asking if it was necessary to spend time making the Cheongsam canvases; I think that was a good question and perhaps I should spend more time painting and improve on that. Although I want to expand my practice to incorporate 3D, film and photography, I envisage my practice to always be rooted in painting – mainly because I enjoy it and I like the challenge. So I need to paint more to take it to the next level. I don’t know what ‘next level’ means, but I just feel the need to push my current boundaries – wherever that may take me!
I managed to source the following book ‘Likeness and Unlikeness’ abour Qi Baishi’s work:
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I need to do more research about what he really meant by his saying. Perhaps that would give me inspiration and new ideas to explore. I had thought that ‘between likeness and unlikeness’ meant a way towards abstraction. But when I look at his paintings, there was always good likeness (a shrimp looked like a shrimp). So I discussed with my Chinese art tutor what Qi meant – it appeared to be not about abstraction. She believed it was about the artists putting themselves into the work. I need to research this some more to really understand. I will start by reading the book.
I feel excited about the research between likeness and unlikeness…
LEARNING
I want to take my painting to the next level but I have not been able to decide how. The reflections above have helped me. I think I will return to painting on 2D canvas for now while I’m experimenting. I would like to return to 3D canvases such as the Cheongsam dress at some point because I have really enjoyed those paintings.
NEXT STEPS
I want to continue to build on my painting practice in the following way:
– Really explore oil as a material. I am used to using oil undiluted to create thick impasto layers, so I will experiment with thinner layers to give me more ways to express myself. Especially to find ways to create ambiguity, about distant memories.
– Research and understand the meaning of ‘between likeness and unlikeness’, start with experimenting in my Chinese art practices with ink on rice paper. Then maybe transfer the learning and understanding to painting with oil if it feels right.
There were two sets of feedback at the end of Unit 2 that I want to capture here, then I will reflect on both sets together at the end. The two sets are (1) Group feedback on my 3 minute video and (2) Unit assessment feedback.
1. Group feedback on my 3 minute video
At the end of Unit 2, we each made a 3 minute video about our art practice. Then the videos were shown to the class and we gave each other feedback. I am very grateful for the thoughtfulness of the feedback I received and I would like to capture them here.
Firstly, my fellow MA students each completed a note on Miro after seeing the video and below are the notes they wrote for me, captured from the Miro board in no particular order:
Ashton I feel… ‘wow’ed by the consistent high standard of your work, 2!; amused that you described it as a pick and mix!! I also feel shocked to learn why the banana has been used in regards to racial slurs, I did not know that until now, and I feel impressed at the way you responded to that using humour when it’s a hard hitting subject. I wonder …how this will continue to develop as there’s lots of paths combined to create these pieces – current/hidtorical racial prejudices and how they occur, cultural symbolisms, food connotations etc. I think… the fact that you can split your work into what continues your narrative vs develops your style / technique is a very good understanding to have, and not something I’ve considered before. That you can still be developing your art practice even if not confronting heavy subjects, that it doesn’t have to pause in times you feel able to continue the narrative.
Sara I feel… a lot of joy in your textiles work and curious about where it may lead to I wonder … how this may link to other current affairs such as the example of the coconuts. I think…your work appears well thought and considered with lots of interesting connections and a great use of metaphors.
Karl I feel… excited about your exploration of memory within your new painting I wonder … how you can connect the culturally appropriated objects and your genuine experience in the work. I think… that the process of making the dress and the painting on it is a great metaphor for perceptions of cultural identity and the space between the pictorial image and the duality of the dresses.
Roz I feel…engaged with richness and quirky imagery, drawn into a powerful metaphor I wonder… whether the dress will hold more opportunities or what 3rd element is needed now in this 3rd space to take you further along your journey I think you have been very successful in your ordering of the complex that you offer clarity, but are sassy in your delivery. And that you are owning, controlling the defining of your status
Chelsea I feel… that the pieces are funny which makes them more accessible because you don’t feel that you are at first glance engaging in a weighty subject. I wonder… where this will all go next. I think… its all very colorful and eye catching and offers a way in to learning about how we talk about people, it re-humanises that which others have tried to dehumanise, especially with the use of clothing.
Bethany I feel… nostalgia and familiarity, the 3rd Space idea, albeit from a different standpoint. I feel curious about your family history in HK, which was an odd colony. I wonder… whether the metonymies might be handled more provocatively, more personally, as a feminist? I think… I am drawn to the gritty, personal stories, the oddity of Cantonese steamed fish served with Spam.
Catherine I feel I want more. I like the element of surprise with your work, ….what will she do next…. You definitely have my attention Eliza. And you are so eloquent – Bravo. I wonder if you will use other clothes items in the future – the dress is so strong and powerful and a perfect vehicle for the way you express yourself and your research.
Tom I feel… educated in a nice way I wonder … what she has discovered about process vs outcome I think… the work deals with potentially emotive topics in a sensitive and restrained way
Ben I feel… I wonder… making paint and making food have a great deal of crossover could they be brought together I think… some lovely colour and ideas – looking forward to seeing how far it could be taken
Oi Fah I feel… well informed I wonder… good metaphor I think… well organized
Daniel I feel… the work is provoking – in a good way – to seeking I wonder… where else could you take this work and how it could be expanded I think…your aproach worked
Lais I feel seen and understood through your video and practice, especially because of how you approach it and colonialism I wonder what comes next for you, and if you will keep exploring textiles I think this is beautiful work and it reaches me on a deeper level.
Madeleina I feel… informed and inspired I wonder… what other items of inspiration are hidden in Eliza’s attic which she could start painting on! I think… Eliza is making a very important and insightful social commentary through her joyful creative work
Karen I feel… a great balance of research and lived experience. I hear a voice. I wonder… how the dress images would translate in other media…. I think…the food is a great metaphor and I love the titles of the work.
Holly I feel… delighted by some of your images especially on the “family dinner” cheongsam dress I wonder… how you view the differences or similarities between “narrative” and “style”, I wonder what would happen if you worked with actual food in your practice I think… it’s interesting how you thought you had lost your mother’s dress but then found it after many years, sort of a metaphor there around identity and fluctuations in connection and expression with/of identity, I think you have quite a bit of clarity about what you’re interested in exploring there appeared to me to be a lot of coherence in the work despite your view that it lacked coherence
Martina I feel… intrigued and amused. I want to see more I wonder… if the dress-paintings are thought to be worn I think…you should reconsider the relation between your narrative and stylistic work. The two seem beautifully integrated to me!
Terrye I feel… inspired by your dresses – playful and colourful interpretations of your identity and a link to your past I wonder… what happens if a European dress is used as an alternative identity – you mention hybrid identity I think…your process towards using materials is a way to create intrigue and excitement in viewing your work.
Jonathan I feel… connected to your story – the narrative is important to you I wonder… if we the audience only need to see small parts of this – eg the food – do we need to see it on a dress I think… the narrative and style are connecting, maybe you can be brave a try just the food paints for a while?
Lucy I feel… lucky to hear Eliza, invited to a personal world that reflects moments in time that are not just culturally important but personally I wonder… how do you feel in the dresses I think…the way you use the dresses to respond to one another is exciting, how in response to the banana you made the egg to reflect you
Dee I feel… transported to my mothers world of dress making I wonder… What a catwalk fashion show of your art would look like I think… The development of your style/narrative is an excellently engineered solution… the next development for me is the latest painting and I am excited to see what happens next
Victoria I feel… inspired by colours and emotional I wonder… inspiration background, ideas for research. If inner dialog is involved and what’s next I think…interesting process, great ability to create deep emotional art. Very complex and simple at the same time, i really like that concept
Inna I feel… I feel that bright colors are a source of energy and inspiration. They bring life to a work, drawing attention and sparking thought. Behind each vibrant hue, there’s a depth of carefully considered ideas, symbols, and stories. It’s not just about the visual impact but about how every detail communicates its own emotion and meaning. I wonder… What stories and carefully considered ideas lie behind each vibrant hue? I think… I also think the allure of bright colors lies in their universality—they resonate with people across cultures and contexts, carrying both personal and collective significance. They can symbolize hope, energy, or transformation, making them a vibrant language that transcends words.
Then we ran a video session where people chipped in with comments on what worked for them about my work. Summary of the video feedback on ‘what worked…’
– Connection to topical discussions
– Dresses
– Fitting my personal narrative
– Use of colour
– Clarity of thoughts and processes
– Metaphor of food
– Playful
– Wanted to look into it to see the stories
– Detail of the food and fish
– Balance of research and lived experiences
– Metaphor of wearing cultural identity
– Confidence in communicating narrative and views
– Dresses – sculpture as well as painting
– Oddness of the food combo
– Making tinned food appealing
– Strangeness of food is brilliant
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2. Unit Assessment Feedback
At the end of Unit 2, I received some invaluable feedback from my course tutor. There was feedback on my practice and my research paper. I agree with much of the feedback and I will not list everything here. I will extract the key points that have caused me to think more deeply about specific elements of my practice. I want to use this blog to further explore my thinking and consider my response in order to develop my practice.
The specific points that I want to respond to are:
1. Is there a risk that the terms “banana” and “egg” can feel reductive, even when reclaimed, how do you (do you need to) account for the multidimensional experiences of diasporic individuals? Could these inadvertently reinforce the stereotypes they seek to critique, without offering sufficient nuance or alternative narratives? How might someone from the Chinese diaspora interpret these works? How do you want them to engage with the works?
2. …your HK family dinners bring a nuance and context to your broader theme. … Does this painting need to be on a cheongsam? What does the cheongsam canvas add or takeaway from the image?
3. …we encourage you to continue experimenting with different techniques, layering methods, transparencies, marks etc. E.g. how might you use thin transparent layers in your work? If you spend time looking at a variety of oil paintings in real life, what effects might you incorporate into your own work?
4. We also encourage you to go back to the documentation of the painting progression – some of us thought the fish dish was stronger at the earlier more “sketchy” stage, experiment with how “finished” elements of the painting need to be. How might this relate to memory? The sketchiness of remembering? The gaps in between the memories, the ‘flying white’.
REFLECTIONS
I really valued the group sessions. I feel blessed that I am in such a supportive community where everyone is thoughtful, kind and genuinely wanting to help each other to progress. I treasure their feedback, it is more than a gift. I started to make and paint on Cheongsam canvases in the last few months, I am still at an early stage with this exploration and I am constantly questioning if it is the right way to go. My group’s feedback gave me the confidence to continue as they seem to enjoy seeing the colourful dresses. Some of the comments have helped to reinforce my decision. However, my tutor feedback has caused me to rethink this point – does it need to be on a Cheongsam? What does it add or take away from the image?
I have been thinking a lot about this since receiving the feedback. Making a Cheongsam painting is a special process in that it makes me feel that I have created something special (to me) when it’s finished. It’s not a judgement of whether it’s good or bad, it just means more to me because of the complexity of the creative process. I set out in my MA Study Statement to find a way to create something that is unique and recognisably mine and I thought I had found that when I started making Cheongsam canvases, hence I referred to it as my turning point. Also, looking back at my earlier work before joining the MA course, I have had attempts at making dress canvases. This was from a period when I was investigating the concept of Expanded Painting and ways to eradicate the traditional canvas. Below are images of the dresses I had made at the time (one of which was also a Cheongsam):
Acrylic ‘canvas-less’ Cheongsam paintingAcrylic ‘canvas-less’ little black dressFront of large paper dress paintingBack of large paper dress painting
I like the way the Cheongsam or dress paintings are 3D paintings, a hybrid between painting and sculpture. I think showing them as 2D photos does take away from the image especially in my latest Cheongsam series as the curved sides of the dress obscure part of the image. Perhaps a film may help to convey the image better.
I believe the Cheongsam shaped canvas adds to the story and narrative that I am trying to convey about my journey and how we ‘wear’ our identity. Here is a past UAL exhibition about wearing our identity which I found interesting:
However, I wonder if my Cheongsam canvases can seem rather ‘gimmicky’. I think I understand the question from my tutor asking if I have the courage to make just a painting without having to paint it on a Cheongsam (I interpret that as ‘without the use of any gimmick’). My response would be – I’m not sure if I’m there yet, but I should try.
My response here also ties in with the feedback about exploring oil in more ways and trying different techniques. I think that is valid as I am aware that I have been using oil in a limited or single-dimensional way (undiluted and impasto). This can have the effect of over-saturation and I should broaden my approach to utilise all that the oil paint has to offer. By exploring thinner transparent layers and producing less finished images, that would add ambiguity and help me to convey my narrative of working from patchy memories.
On the other points regarding whether ‘banana’ or ‘egg’ are too reductive as metaphors – I plan to respond in a separate blog after completing some research.
LEARNING
I enjoy doing the Cheongsam paintings and I feel that I would like to maintain that element in my practice. However, not all my work need to be on a dress or 3D canvas. My priority now should be to explore more painting techniques and widen my ‘painting vocabulary’ so I can be more creative in expressing complex narratives. To do this, I will pause the making of the dress canvases and spend more of my studio time on painting.
NEXT STEPS
– Explore different techniques of using oil paint so I can be more creative and multi dimensional in my expressions.
– Explore different approaches to painting and ways of thinking about painting.
– Pause the making of Cheongsam canvases for now to release time and return to it at a later time.
– Respond to the ‘banana’ and ‘egg’ feedback with a separate blog.
After making Family Dinner #1 (image below), I proceeded to make #2 with the learning.
Family Dinner #1
METHOD
I was overall satisfied with how the new Cheongsam pattern worked out. But I felt the measurements needed to be more generous if I were to wear the canvas because of the stiffness of the material. If it were too tight then it would be difficult to put on. Hence I modified the pattern to make it wider.
Pattern ready for cutting
I also learnt from the last dress painting that it was difficult to paint the back of the dress if the dress was fully sewn up and placed on the canvas – it was impossible to access the back while the oil on the front was drying for weeks.
Therefore I experimented in this case with not sewing up the sides and draping the dress with the back part of the canvas hanging off the back of the easel. The plan is to paint the front then turn the board to paint the back.
Back of the dress draped over the board
This family dinner has a main dish of ‘flower crab cooked in a clay pot’. So learning from my Chinese painting class – I studied the anatomy first and did a few ink drawings of crabs:
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Then I chose the colour of the background based on another Chinese dinner service. It’s the same pattern of the yellow one I used on Family Dinner #1, but of a turquoise colour:
I experimented with different level of tinting to get the right colour and not too dark:
The composition was developed on my sketchbook then marked out using black willow charcoal on the canvas:
Composition drawings
Then I decided that I would sew up the sides of the dress because I felt it would be too difficult to turn the canvas inside-out to sew once it has been painted with oil. So I reverted back to the process I used previously after much consideration. I also used Velcro much more extensively along the complete opening of the right chest and side instead of using a zip or buttons because it would be hard to sew a zip or hand-sew fasteners due to the thick canvas. Hot glue was used to fix the Velcro in addition to the Velcro tape adhesive to ensure it was firmly in place.
Sides of the dress were sewn up
I started with the ‘pan fried sliced luncheon meat’. I once did a tinting paint chart of the different red oil paints I had. It was very useful to choose the colour of luncheon meat from the chart. I chose the shade according to my childhood memory – the colour of artificially-pink meat is difficult to forget!
Then I proceeded to loosely paint and mark out the rest of the composition.
Adding chicken and green beansAdding clay pot flower crab and Campbell’s
Then more detail painting of the luncheon meat with some yellow edges for the oil used for pan frying:
Adding details to the whole salt baked chicken:
Around this time I received my Unit 2 feedback from my tutor with comments that made me reflect on how I apply the oil paint. So I experimented with some looser strokes on the crab shell.
The painting was finished by completing the Campbell’s alphabet soup and adding pattern details from the dinner service around the dishes. Pink satin fastening frogs were added as finishing touch.
Finished work – Family Dinner #2:
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REFLECTIONS
I really enjoyed making this painting. Food is such a key part of Chinese and Hong Kong culture that appreciating food is deep in my DNA. The more I paint these dinners, the more I realise that it’s not just the eating that I enjoy, but the painting of food as well. Working from memory has been great, thinking back to all the meals where these dishes were eating – at home as well as at restaurants.
Some of the unhappy experiences from our family dinners that I talked about in the reflections for Family Dinner #1 did not enter my consciousness for some reason. I realised that some of those experiences were dish dependent. Perhaps the dishes depicted here were ‘safe’ dishes without chances to go wrong. Dinner #1 featured a steamed fish – that was always challenging…
Part way through making this painting I received my Unit 2 feedback and it has been very thought-provoking. It made me immediately reevaluate how I applied oil painting – perhaps I have been too ‘one-dimensional’. Always applying the same (fairly thick) way. I tried a looser approach on the crab shell and was happy with the outcome. I have been thinking about that constantly and I need to experiment much more. How to use paint in a way to depict my distant and fading memory?
The Unit 2 feedback also made me think more deeply about why I am painting on Cheongsam dresses. Why dresses? Why Cheongsam and is the time well-spent in making dress-canvases? There is a lot to think about and reflect on from the Unit 2 feedback and I will write a dedicated blog for that.
I was going to make another cheongsam dress painting after this one, but I think I will make this decision after fully reflecting on my Unit 2 feedback.
LEARNING
– Be more flexible and creative in using oil. Try different thick- and thinness to create impact, to tell the story.
– Doing something just because I enjoy it is not enough a reason to do it. Need to consider more deeply about why – I believe I do this and reflect already but perhaps need to go deeper to examine my reasons.
– In terms of the Cheongsam making process, the increased use of Velcro as fasteners was a success and should be used in future dresses. Using hot glue to fix the Velcro was also a good idea.
– Overall, the pattern development has gone well and I believe I have a well tested and suitable method of producing a Cheongsam painting canvas.
NEXT STEPS
– Experiment with thinning oil and layering.
– Explore ways to depict fading memory without being overly detailed.
– Complete and capture my reflections from Unit 2 feedback. Write a dedicated blog for that and determine next steps to develop my practice. What to do if not Cheongsam paintings?
– Finish the back of the Cheongsam when the front is dried.
I have been learning Chinese painting for three years in parallel to my other courses such as the MA Fine Art programme at Central Saint Martins. Collectively, they help me to develop my transcultural art practice.
My latest learning was about the use of seals. Here is some information from the Hong Kong Art Museum about the use of seals on painting and calligraphy:
The seal is applied at the end of the painting process. Since the seal paste is usually a permanent colour of Vermillion (cinnabar red), it cannot be erased hence its placement has to be considered and applied carefully. Otherwise, it could ruin the painting composition.
For Chinese artists, they can use different types of seals. They typically have one or more name-seals and other optional mood-seals. My late mother left behind several of her seals that I have been studying and using for my paintings. I asked my Chinese painting tutor whether it was appropriate for me to use another artist’s (i.e. my mother’s) seals. My tutor said, ‘she was your mum, I don’t think she would mind. Anyway, who is going to check?’ Since my mother was an established painter, her seals were beautifully carved from quality stones. I have enjoyed discovering them and playing with them.
Since my last lesson, I have been practicing signing my name in Chinese calligraphy and then putting two seals on paintings. These experiments have been challenging in a fun way.
1. A vase of flowers in Chinese ink on Xuan (rice) paper. The calligraphy says it is by me (my full name with surname) and there are two seals:
– The seal at the bottom left corner belonged to my mother. It is a mood-seal with the meaning of ‘transcendence’ – a spiritual state of moving beyond physical needs and realities.
– The seal at the top right is my new mood seal that I ordered from Hong Kong through my tutor. It means ‘third space’ and is a fundamental element of my art practice – exploring the ‘third space’ which describes my existence. Third space here is as described by Homi K. Bhabha in his book ‘The Location of Culture’.
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2. A simple painting of a flower branch in a small vase. The calligraphy says it is by me (name only, no surname) with two seals:
– bottom left: my full name seal with surname.
– Top right: ‘Transcendence’.
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3. A small vase with a branch and leaves. My name in calligraphy with two seals:
– Bottom left: my full name.
– Top right: one my of mother’s seals but I do no know what it says! It is of an ancient script and beyond my knowledge. I will keep researching to see if I can find out. I have subsequently found out by seeing on one my mother’s paintings that I have put it upside down!
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4. My cat Tom who is sadly not with us anymore. No calligraphy with two seals:
– My full name and the upside down seal!
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LEARNING
Using the seal properly is an art form that requires skills which comes with experience. The placement of the seal as well as how it is applied are both important. Too much paste would ‘flood’ the carving giving a red mess, too little paste would make part of the seal invisible, i.e. an incomplete image. So it needs to be just right.
The placement is even more challenging. The use of negative space is critical in Chinese painting – my Chinese painting tutor said the extensive use of negative space was a key differentiation between Chinese and ‘Western’ art. Placing the seal after the painting is completed means the seal interrupts the negative space hence it needs to be done in a way that maintains the harmony of the composition whilst enhancing the composition. While writing this I realise it is impossible to articulate how to do it! What I have learnt from the above paintings are that if I am using two seals then place them diagonally on the composition and use one large and one smaller seal, i.e. do not use two seals of the same size. The non-uniformity makes the composition more interesting.
My tutor said the only way to learn was to keep doing it, keep practicing, then eventually it would come naturally. I have to take her words for it as I don’t have any other options! I used to only put seals on paintings that I was happy with, but my tutor said I should do it on every painting in order to practice. So that is what I will do!
NEXT STEPS:
– Keep practicing using seals on all my Chinese paintings.
– Pay more attention to how other Chinese artists use their seals – study my mother’s paintings and my painting books more carefully.
This blog details my preparation for Tutorial #4 due to take place on 29th November 2024 with Jonathan Kearney.
Referring to my Study Statement, I have circled two specific areas for Unit 2 on my work plan for this tutorial preparation.
For the last few months, I have been making art in parallel with writing a research paper. The progress for both are as follows.
PROGRESS (MAKING)
Since the last tutorial, I have continued to explore making Cheongsam shaped canvases for painting. I feel that this way of making could be the start of the convergence of my narrative and style development work. I was hoping that this convergence would happen sometime during Year 2 of my MA programme (as circled in red). So I am pleased that the Cheongsam paintings could be the convergence that I was looking for to take my practice forward.
Cheongsam Paintings
The following blogs detail the Cheongsam paintings that I have been working on as well as the thinking and narratives behind the work:
Below is my latest work which is the start of a new series of Cheongsam paintings about memories of ‘Family dinners’ from 1970s Hong Kong. The change of medium from acrylic to oil meant that I had to change the canvas material and dress design as captured below.
Book Art – I was very inspired by the Book Art workshop during the low res week in London. Here is an example of an attempt with some Suminagashi paper that I made:
Writing the research paper has given me ideas to take the context of my practice beyond just examining my personal identity. It was always my intention to find a way to go towards something broader and societal (as circled in blue on my Study Statement). Below is a blog capturing my reflections and learning from writing the research paper which is the start of this thinking process.
I would like help with the following points please – I will expand further on 2 and 3 during our tutorial:
1. Any feedback on the Cheongsam paintings and research paper (if available) would be most appreciated.
2. Ideas for the final degree show – I am considering a series of Cheongsam dresses (3D paintings), shall I include other work such as video and 2D paintings as well? I am planning ahead because the Cheongsam paintings take a long time to make.
3. Next step on my learning journey – I have done further research and would like some more advice please.
– End of prep notes –
Notes from tutorial:
Positive feedback on the research paper. We are still waiting for formal feedback from my supervisor. An area of improvement is the overuse of ‘This paper argues…’, so important to be mindful of this overuse in future writing.
Degree show ideas – we discussed making more Cheongsam paintings about childhood dinners because I still have many ideas or dishes still to do. So I will continue with that series. However, I should not limit myself to just Cheongsam paintings and I will explore the other aspects of my practice. E.g. review the Steamed McDonalds video that I have made but not edited yet. I will review and edit to see if it would be a good piece of work to complement the Cheongsam dinner paintings.
We discussed the ‘fair use’ policy of using music soundtracks in my video. It is fine to use in an educational setting for a student video as I am not planning to profit from it. As for using sound – always be careful to make it relevant to the content and context.
We discussed the next steps of my development regarding options after the MA course. The discussion was very helpful and I have some actions to investigation options.
By analysing the work of Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Fiona Rae this paper will argue that transcultural art can enhance understanding of the human experience amid unprecedented levels of migration and displacement.
I have enjoyed working on the research paper because it gave me the opportunity to analyse the work of two of my favourite transcultural artists. I like studying other transcultural artists’ work because I usually find resonance and they help to inform my practice.
Below is an extract from my MA Study Statement where I detailed my objectives for my narrative development work.
I believe doing the research paper has helped me to address Objectives ii and iii and the reasons will be explained within this blog. This blog captures my thinking, questions and reflections along the journey of writing the research paper with a learning summary at the end.
REFLECTIONS
As stated in Objective ii, I want to use research and academic rigour to bring clarity to my thinking in examining my narrative which is based on the idea of The Third Space.
The Third Space
I first found out about Homi K Bhabha’s notion of the Third Space three years ago when I watched a lecture by the artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby (link included later in the text). In the lecture, Akunyili Crosby explained Bhabha’s Third Space and directly located her art practice within her Third Space. I found such strong resonance with her explanation and her work that I started to research Bhabha’s work, especially his book The Location of Culture:
Bhabha, H. (1994) The Location of Culture. London: Routledge
Bhabha uses concepts such as mimicry, interstice and hybridity in the book and his work was deeply rooted in colonial and postcolonial theories. I found his work very useful in helping me to unpack some of my personal experiences, growing up in colonial Hong Kong, then migrating to the UK in 1980 and now living as a British Chinese. Understanding his work has helped me in the sense-making of parts of my transcultural journey and I have been expressing some of my insights in my identity-based art practice.
So I was excited to approach my research paper using Bhabha’s work as the theoretical foundation to analyse the artistic expressions of the two chosen transcultural artists to examine how the notion of the ‘Third Space’ had influenced transcultural artists. However, my supervisor (rightly) challenged me on why I chose Bhabha’s thirty year old theory and if it was still relevant today.
To justify the use of Bhabha’s theory was a good challenge. For me, Bhabha’s theory was personal, it helped me to unpack issues that have puzzled or troubled me from my childhood in colonial Hong Kong as well as living as a migrant in the UK. So for me, Bhabha’s work is relevant for me today despite it being written thirty years ago. However, I knew that only putting in my personal experience in the research paper as a justification would not be sufficient or academically robust!
I started by researching texts on the meaning of ‘culture’ which helped to anchor my thoughts before proceeding onto the meaning of ‘transcultural’. I then researched more recent academic texts in transculturalism that either directly referenced Bhabha in their research, or described contemporary hybrid existence that reflected the cultural negotiations within the Third Space as asserted by Bhabha. The challenge of a limited word count meant I had to select the most relevant works to focus on for this paper. Examples of texts that I used to justify using Bhabha’s work are as follows along with the lecture by Akunyili Crosby where she located her practice within the Third Space. I felt the latter was the most powerful example of Bhabha’s contemporary relevance:
Iyall Smith, K.E. and Leavy, P. (eds) (2009) Hybrid identities: theoretical and empirical examinations. Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books (Studies in critical social sciences book series)
Grunitzky, C (2004) Transculturalism: how the world is coming together. New York: TRUE Agency
My supervisor also suggested that I should extend my scope of research to find relevance in my topic in the contemporary world because merely analysing artistic expressions was not enough. I should seek to ‘go deeper and richer’. This was a bigger challenge than justifying Bhabha’s text.
In my Study Statement Objective iii, I had always planned to expand my practice from personal identity to societal issues to give it a wider purpose. At the time of writing my Study Statement, I had in mind to expand towards the area of postcolonial theories because of my background and also my interest in Bhabha’s work. However, I did not feel the urge to bring postcolonialism into my research paper right now because there has been something else more pressing preying on my mind. I have been very troubled by the ongoing escalation of wars or conflicts around the world and the sheer amount of displaced people as a result. To the extent that I fear society might become immune to such news. The issues surrounding immigration have been at the top of political agendas around the world especially in countries that continue to hold power. Furthermore, closer to home for me, over 200,000 Hong Kong people have moved to the UK in the last three years as voluntary international migrants with the special visa scheme granted by the British Government. I wonder how they are managing in a country with a very different culture after uprooting from their homeland under the circumstances. So all these thoughts have been on my mind.
Then as I started to analyse the works of Akunyili Crosby and Fiona Rae who are both migrants, I was drawn to the extent of the sense-making in their work, the way they use their art to respond to and make sense of their changing environments as they migrated from one country to another. I found much resonance with their work. Bhabha’s notion of the Third Space gave me a structure to analyse and contrast their artistic expressions. It helped me to find differences and similarities. The two artists expressed their transcultural sense-making very differently but their wish or need to go through that sense-making was a common theme. It brought home to me that every migrant or displaced individual have that need to make sense of their new or changing environment and that is fundamental for survival – this was explained and verified when I researched Damasio’s texts such as:
Damasio, A. (2021) Feeling & Knowing. New York: Pantheon Books.
I proceeded to try to bridge my transcultural artists research with this very human ‘need’ that must be happening to millions of people right now around the world (281 millions in 2014 according to The International Organization of Migration).
However, a fundamental question remained – so what? So what if migrant artists share the same human experiences as other migrants? It is not exactly a grand revelation. I instinctively felt that there was something more that a transcultural artist could do than just make art, their stories are human as well as relevant and can enhance our understanding of the human conditions involved or perhaps something even more. So I continued to research hybrid identities, the role of artists, transcultural art etc. hoping to find some inspiration. A ‘lightbulb moment’ came to me from:
Petersen, A.R. (2017) Migration into art: transcultural identities and art-making in a globalised world. Manchester: Manchester university press (Rethinking art’s histories)
Petersen proposes the notion of ‘the artist as a migrant worker’ and explains that instead of cementing the myth of the artist as a detached creator, the proposed notion invites a more profound exploration of how the artist’s role can be reconfigured as that of a translator, mediator and bridge-builder between people and cultures. Petersen contends that art can be an instrument of orientation and has the ability to negotiate contradictions and complexities. Petersen uses a botanical metaphor to describe a migrant’s way of forming affiliations as ‘radicant’, planting roots along its travel like an ivy or strawberry plant, as oppose to a native, or ‘radicle’, that plants a root from it’s original location. Researching Petersen’s text gave me the idea of using transcultural art to help migrants with their personal sense-making and enhance their sense of belonging through finding resonance.
Having analysed the different texts that I researched, I further assert that the native can also benefit from critically understanding transcultural art in order to better appreciate the human experience amid the unprecedented levels of migration that will likely impact all aspects of society whether one is a migrant or a native. I felt that there was also a place for transcultural art to humanise the migration experience so as to prevent society from becoming immune to the ongoing conflict situations and the resultant displacement of people. This is an area that I would have wanted to expand on more but was constrained by word count, therefore I am considering doing further research on this subject.
LEARNING
I have learnt a lot through doing the research paper and it would take too long to detail everything here. In the context of my art practice, the key learning points for me in doing the research paper are as follows.
– Through a deeper insight into Bhabha’s work, I have cemented my belief of its relevance in today’s society despite being written thirty years ago. I also feel more strongly than before that it is relevant to me and I will continue to use it as a theoretical foundation for my personal inquiries. Furthermore, through my research, I have found other more recent texts that will help to broaden my thinking in the topic of cultural hybridity and inform my contemporary art practice. This learning has directly helped me with Objective ii in my Study Statement.
– Analysing the work by the two transcultural artists alongside academic texts has made me think more deeply about what sense-making means. Of course, I understand the dictionary meaning of the phrase but I am beginning to grasp what sense-making feels like. To the extent that after finishing a recent painting, I really felt that I had gone through a sense-making process. It felt like a new enlightenment for me. It still feels nebulous and I hope to grasp it more firmly as I develop my practice.
– I have learnt about the magnitude of the number of international migrants and displaced people in 2024. I knew it was large and increasing, but it was beyond my expectation. Also, it was useful to study research about what causes feelings of isolation for migrates and how senses of belonging are developed. I appreciate I have only touched on the surface of those profound subjects through a 4,000 word research paper and I am compelled to find out more.
– The research has helped me to find relevance for transcultural art and propose a role for the transcultural artist in our society amid unprecedented migration and displacement. As a transcultural artist, I find this exciting and it supports the pursuit of my Study Statement Objective iii – finding a wider purpose for my practice. However, I need to be mindful of some risks…
– I am mindful that a 4,000 word research paper could only touch on the surface of all the issues and ideas that I have discussed. Much more research needs to take place and ideas need to be rigorously examined with a wider audience than just myself before I can really claim the location of my practice within this wider purpose. Otherwise, I could be at risk of being naïve which would not help me and definitely not help the 281 million migrants and displaced people.
NEXT STEPS
Since I have enjoyed writing this research paper and I feel strongly about the topic, I am considering doing further research as part of my personal and practice development.
After finishing three other Cheongsam paintings, I started this work with a new Cheongsam canvas design and thicker gauge canvas as described in this blog:
I then explored the possible subjects for this painting and decided to focus on food. In the last two ‘food’ Cheongsam paintings, food was used as a racial identity metaphor. Food in the context of this new painting is about memories of family dinners in the 1970s when I was growing up in Hong Kong. Food was and still is a very important part of the Hong Kong culture. Family dinners are very important and day-to-day life often centres around family dinners. The Hong Kong society is a fusion of many cultures and this is strongly reflected in its food. I want to make a series of paintings to explore my childhood memories and tell my transcultural stories through my family dinners.
METHOD
The idea of making paintings about my family dinners came to me when I visited my sister and she cooked a dish of steamed whole seabass with ginger, spring onions, shiitake mushrooms and coriander in soy sauce. She reminded me this was exactly the same recipe that our late mother used to cook for our family dinners. Seeing the dish and her description triggered many deeply buried memories. I started to remember all the different dishes that my mother use to cook – all those memories that I have long forgotten. I took a photo of my sister’s steamed fish as I wanted to incorporate that into my painting.
As soon as I returned home, I started to research images of dishes that I have had and worked on the composition. Below are some examples created using Adobe Fresco:
Here is a video of the Fresco creation process:
I also used my sketchbook to experiment with different compositions.
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The previous Cheongsam paintings were in acrylic on calico canvas and I wanted to paint in oil for this work because I enjoy painting in oil and I wanted to return to oil after not doing so for some time. Also, I had in mind that the toppings for the fish would be ‘piled up’ and I felt that oil paint would give me more freedom and time to play with getting the right texture. I usually just start painting straight away on the canvas, but on this occasion, something was holding me back and I had the urge to do some study drawings first to give me time to think about the details and composition. Below is the study drawing for the fish dish:
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At the top of this blog, I listed an earlier blog about using a new design for the Cheongsam with thicker canvas material. This latest dress design and material combination caused the waist area to crease on the mannequin. So far, I have painted all the previous Cheongsams on a mannequin. However, for this one, I felt that it needed to be painted flat to eliminate the creases during the painting process. So I moved the canvas from the mannequin to the easel.
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Painting moved to the easel so that I could paint on a flat surface:
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I proceeded to mark out the composition starting with the centre piece – the steamed fish. The placement of the fish dish is reflective of a Chinese family dinner where the steamed fish (if on the menu) would typically be placed in the centre as the signature dish.
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Having roughly marked out the fish dish, I added a plate of steamed baked beans. Since Hong Kong is/was such a fusion of different cultures and heavily influenced by the British due to colonialism, it was not unusual to have imported tinned food served alongside traditional Chinese dishes in my family. In hindsight, it sounds strange and funny to serve these two very different dishes together; but at the time it was the most natural thing – food was just food especially for a child. I never thought about their origins or the reasons that caused these two dishes to came to be served next to each other. I remember my mother calling baked beans ‘pork beans’ at the time and I remember at times there were small pieces of pork fat among the beans. I researched this and found that manufacturers did put pieces of pork in with the beans but removed them due to World War II meat rationing. I am not sure if they reintroduced pork in the 1970s or if what we ate were left over from the old pre-war stock!
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Other dishes were gradually added to the menu, each dish having their individual significance in the role they played in our family dinner. I also enlarged the two fish to give them more prominence and I wanted a tight composition as from memory, dinner tables in Hong Kong were always crowded with food.
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I tried using charcoal with oil which I had never done before and below are photos of the initial experiment on oil-paper:
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The experiment was not satisfactory because the charcoal did not work well on oil-paper, so I returned to experimenting on the canvas:
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I was pleased with the charcoal effect and proceeded to paint the fish:
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Toppings of spring onions, shiitake mushrooms etc. were added in thick layers of oil paint:
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Time to add the dessert – Del Monte fruit cocktail.
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To complete the composition, I added pattern details from the Chinese dinner set that my parents used at the time around the various dishes on the painting.
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The completed front part of the Cheongsam painting:
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The painting was put back onto a mannequin as I wanted the oil paint to cure according to the shape that it would eventually be displayed in. Then green satin ‘frog’ fasteners were added to complete the Cheongsam look.
Below are images of the finished front half of the painting with –
-Steamed whole fish with spring onions, ginger, coriander and sliced shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce;
-Braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens;
-Gai Lan (greens) with oyster sauce;
-Steamed baked beans (imported) and
-Del Monte fruit cocktail (imported).
‘Family dinner #1‘, oil and charcoal on 240gsm cotton canvas. Size: 98 x 68 x 28cm.
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REFLECTIONS
So many thoughts and memories went through my mind while making this painting, it is hard to know where to start for my reflections. Like I have done before, I will use ‘free writing’ to capture them as they come into my consciousness as I write.
– Only in hindsight when I am doing this painting did I realise what a strange fusion of cuisine we experienced growing up in Hong Kong. Not only because imported tinned food like ‘pork beans’ (now known as baked beans) were served alongside carefully prepared Cantonese dishes, but the fact that the beans were steamed in a wok to heat up was rather amusing. Since my mother would not have known how baked beans were meant to be served, so steaming in a wok was her default method. As children, we loved mixing the baked beans with our boiled rice in our bowls because of the sugar and salt in the beans. Like many children all over the world, we (sadly) appreciated the processed food more than the poor mother’s fresh cooking!
– My father was the patriarch. He expected a well cooked meal twice a day (he used to come home for lunch). If the meal was not up to standard then there would be consequences. He was not physically violent but there would be a ‘dark cloud’ over our dinner, eaten in silence with the children exchanging glances but no one dared utter a word. The rejected dishes would be sent back to the kitchen to be remedied if possible (if overcooked then not possible).
– So my mother had to deliver two perfect cooking performances per day, everyday. Chinese cooking can be challenging, to get the taste balance, texture, freshness, aesthetics (just to name a few requirements) correct for every dish is very demanding. Especially when the ‘judge’ had high expectations. For example, for a steamed whole fish, the fish had to be cooked just right, not overcooked or undercooked – this is challenging even for restaurant chefs. If there was steamed fish then as soon as my father sat down at the table, he would split the fish open along the spine bone with his chopsticks and examine the ‘colour’ of the flesh, if there was any hint of pink along the spine ( meaning undercooking) then the chopsticks would be slammed down as a gesture of disapproval, no words needed to be said and the dish would be taken back to be remedied. It is no wonder my mother sometimes used Western tinned food to make up the number of dishes to get by. Since my father worked for the Hong Kong Government and was a life-long civil servant to the ‘Colonial Crown Service’, he was very accepting of Western tinned food because we (the colonised) were led to believe that anything from the West was superior. So in this context, colonialism in fact brought with it some occasional relief for my mother in her job of family meals planning.
– I think I chose a bright yellow background for my Cheongsam dinner because I love food and enjoying good food makes me happy as it is such a key part of my heritage. I always wanted family dinners to be fun, bright and cheerful. Although there were often ‘dark clouds’ that loomed over our family dinners, as kids, we would find reasons to giggle at the dinner table – it was our way of responding to the situation through kids’ humour.
– The background yellow is also similar to one of the dinner sets that my parents had hence I incorporated some of its design onto the dress. I will elaborate about the dinner set design on the back of the dress as it has an interesting history.
– There were other back stories to the dishes on the painting and on how ‘the family dinner’ was often where the dynamics of my parents’ relationship played out. I am reluctant to detail all of them because it would be unfair to my parents who are not around to say whether they wanted their stories to be told. Also, I am not sure if I am ready to express everything yet.
– I wonder, how does one find out if the dead would want their stories told and how does one decide whether to tell them anyway? Also, I can only tell a story through my lens, so whose story would I be telling?
– Recently, I have been thinking a lot about ‘process vs outcome’ in my practice. I have thought more deeply about this since I started to make Cheongsam paintings. I think it is because the work takes longer and involves more complexity, so the extensive creative process gives me time to think more deeply. Especially with this Family Dinner painting – the composition is more complex than the previous ones and painting in oil takes longer which is part of why I love to paint in oil – the process and materiality force me to take my time. The surrendering of agency to the process elates me. My thinking during my making process comes in many forms, such as reflections and memory recalls that I would often incorporate into my painting, or ‘put aside’ in my ideas bank for future paintings. All these thoughts go towards the sense-making of my journey, my identity and the world around me. It is right now at this very moment in time while writing this set of reflections that I have come to truly understand what ‘sense-making’ means – to me. I wish I could bottle this moment before the thought eludes me.
– I wrote in my research paper about two transcultural artists and their sense-making that takes place on the canvas. For the paper, I researched about sense-making and how that process fundamentally supports the human survival. In the context of migration, people displacement or in a transcultural setting, where the environment is new or constantly changing – I believe the opportunity to reflect and make sense of one’s experience is essential to survival in a meaningful way; to feel belonged in the world and not merely to exist. Unfortunately for many, the quest for physical survival can be overwhelming therefore depriving them of the opportunity for the much needed sense-making.
LEARNING
When I first started planning the structure of my blogs at the start of my MA programme, I had planned for the REFLECTIONS section to be free-thinking and free-flowing, capturing whatever came to mind related to the work or during the making process. The LEARNING section is there to bring the thinking back to the context of my practice to extract any practice-related learning and plan the next steps. This structure has helped me to develop my practice so far and is becoming even more important as my reflections become more extensive and ‘free’. So I will now try to extract some learning from the this piece of work and the above reflections.
– Referring to my thoughts on ‘process vs outcome’, there is increasing clarity for me as to why I am not always bothered about the work once it is finished. For me, the work is a way to provide a process – the process is more precious to me. The process gives me quality thinking time and it ‘walks with me’. I enjoy making very much, but it is the making while thinking or reflecting that is the most valuable for me.
– So what am I going to do with this realisation, or confirmation of what is valuable for me in my practice? I don’t know yet, maybe I don’t need to do anything to bring these thoughts to a conclusion, perhaps it is just a beginning with no end – that feels exciting. So I will go with ‘it’ and try not to over think ‘it’.
– I have thought a lot about how I could capture some of the more abstract elements that came out during the making process, perhaps onto a piece of physical work – could be painting, writing, 3D etc.. I remember in a much earlier blog, I talked about wanting to find ways to express my thoughts through abstraction as that might liberate me to express more freely without the confinement of physical preconceptions. A specific image that has been recurring in my mind since finishing the Family Dinner painting was the pink tinge (of blood) that would sometimes be visible along the fish’s spine as my father parted the flesh of an undercooked fish with his chopsticks. For me, that tinge of pink symbolised innocence and trouble at the same time. I need to do something with that pink to get it out of my head.
– As I was making this painting, many memories of other interesting family dishes and stories came to mind and I am bursting to paint more dinners to capture them.
– I also need to complete the back of this dress. I had originally thought about painting a second dinner on the back, but I have decided to not do this because I want to save some of the dishes for other dresses as I want to make a series of several ‘Family Dinner’ paintings. Also, I want to paint the design of the dinner set that my parents had because it has an interesting history.
– As for the new Cheongsam sewing pattern that I used for this painting canvas – I am very pleased with the new design because it does not have any darts so the canvas can be painted flat which means I can use thicker canvases and paint in oil which is my preferred medium for this current series of painting.
– The new Cheongsam canvas design also means I have reduced the making time of the canvas from two days down to around half a day. This improvement was due to a simpler design and my experience gained in making these canvases – I am now more confident in sewing with my machine and quicker in trouble-shooting. This means I have more time for the other parts of the creative process.
– A key learning in making Family Dinner #1 was to take time in my making. I have in the past rushed my work, for no specific reason but to just ‘get things done’. The study drawing of the steamed fish was invaluable for me and gave me the confidence to experiment and take chances when painting on the canvas because of my enhanced observations. I now appreciate why artists make study drawings!
NEXT STEPS
– Paint the back of Family Dinner #1 with the family dinner set design.
– Start to research and make Family Dinner #2.
– Continue to take time in my making, e.g. allow time to make study drawings and appreciate materiality.
– Experiment and play: do some abstract paintings of ‘the pink tinge’ to explore how to capture some of the ‘magic’ that I have felt during my making process.
elizarawlings 