Adele Chong

My painting practice was prompted by my ongoing interest in print culture, particularly revolving around the visual language of comic books and architectural illustrations. The concept of architecture is prevalent in the paintings in more illustrative forms, functioning much like blueprints for artificial worlds. 

An apparent process dictates the painted surface, revealing layers that indicate a pointedly ceremonial way of art-making. Various mediums and acrylic gels are mixed with paint and haphazardly spilled onto the prepared surface. Dark outlines encapsulate the spillage and the process is repeated over and over again in a tug-of-war struggle balancing control and accident. The stylized forms and colors associated with the design and comic medium both merge and deny that of painting, simultaneously bringing two forces together to formulate one tumultuous landscape. 

The medium of drawing factors greatly in my attempt to possess spaces, mainly because it is the fastest, most spontaneous response I can muster. It requires little contemplation and for me, it is the compromise between monotonous activity and autonomy. 

There are repeated motifs in my mark-making. These gestures reflect my interest in symbiotic environments, often hinting at encapsulated organisms each participating discreetly in ritualized processes and perpetually functioning as catalysts. I believe that in the construction and arrangements of marks, I am changing spatial perceptions and influencing the 'landscape' or working area. I feel that my work is architecture, if in a more virtual rather than physical sense.