Go With The Flow -  Solo Exhibition by Cordelia Tam

 Venue: Hong Kong Visual Arts Center, 7A Kennedy Road, Central, Hong Kong

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“Go with the Flow” is artist Cordelia Tam’s first solo exhibition after she obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree at
RMIT University in Australia in 2020. Tam follows the characteristics of her materials to create works embracing
Chinese and Western philosophies and aesthetics. Through a variety of visual art media, she explores the
relationship between urban life and Nature.
Curator Matthew Tsang has worked closely with Tam over the years. Tsang says, “In this multi-media exhibition
Tam uses office waste papers as material and transforms them back to a pulp state. Combining the inspirations she
gained during the production process and from Nature, she creates a series of poetic and picturesque works which
fully develop the material’s plasticity. Through these meticulously lighted installations, ingenious videos and
unique photographical works, the artist conveys natural sceneries she experienced during her artistic process and
brings to the audience a calming and immersive experience of going with the flow.”
In the works “The Sky” and “Artificial Nature”, the handmade papers recorded the flow of water interacting with
the artist’s body movement during the paper making process. The unique grains and veins on these sheets of
paper are revealed by light, and convey poetic scenes reminiscent of floating clouds and “shan shui” in paintings.
The latter work also makes use of special lighting effects to create a time-space where day and night seamlessly
alternate with each other.
“Ink Cityscape” is a work made from paper and ink, leveraging on the effects of capillary action. The operation of
this natural force over time produces the mesmerising scene of a landscape within a cityscape. In “The Mountain”,
sparkles of light penetrating from the translucent paper mountain invites the audiences to perceive the existence
of Nature’s inner forces.
Tam says, “Nature offers a rich source of insights in our daily lives, and I believe in going with the flow of Nature.
Through studying the unique characteristics of my material - paper, I have been inspired to make use of different
ways to create artworks based on themes about harmony with Nature. The process of making paper requires
repetitive actions and high concentration, and helps me to cleanse my mind for a contemplative experience. I hope
I can share these experiences with the audiences through my works.”
In 2018 Tam and curator Tsang were awarded the Taiwan Austronesian International Arts Award-Grand Prize with
their work “Perusing Time”. In the following year, they were invited for artist in residency in Taitung and co-created
the work “Symbiosis ∙Resonance” for exhibition. Two of the works featured in this exhibition, “The Sky” and “The
Mountain”, were parts of the two works created by Tam in Taiwan, and are now being presented as standalone
works.

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