Wu Xing: Five Elements, Jyoti Duwadi’s first exhibition in Hong Kong, is a site- specific multimedia installation where nature and culture merge. It interweaves drawings and paintings using earth pigments, turmeric and gum Arabic with sculptures made from beeswax. The exhibition is inspired by the advent of the Year of the Dragon, the dynamism of Hong Kong, and the architecture of the gallery space.

This installation offers a multi-sensory experience of smell, sound, and touch using natural materials and found objects such as bamboo baskets and vessels from Hong Kong and Nepal. A singing bowl, one of components of the sculpture Stupa for Hong Kong, invites visitors to compose soothing tones using a wooden mallet, welcoming the New Year and heightening the meditative atmosphere of the space.

Wu Xing: Five Elements interprets the traditional Chinese elements—earth, water, fire, metal, and wood—which represent the fundamental forms of energy. The variety of techniques and media in this installation reflects ideas of balance and transformation embodied in this ancient concept. Improvisational forms, primal colors, and an array of textures foster an environment for contemplating peace and the harmony of body and mind.

A sculpture titled Year of the Dragon 2012 is one of the installation’s centerpieces. Wrapping one of the columns in the gallery with various materials, the artist evokes the spirit of the dragon and its snake-like form. Beeswax and sprigs of juniper add scent.

About the Artist

Jyoti Duwadi, born into a family of poets and writers, was exposed to art and literature while growing up in Darjeeling, Varanasi, and Kathmandu. He moved to the United States in 1971 to study Political Science, earning a PhD from Claremont Graduate University, California. Since 1978, he has been exhibiting multi-media work that synthesizes his South Asian roots with modern and contemporary Western art. After moving to New York City in 1990 the artist began traveling extensively, incorporating ideas, images and materials that contribute to a vibrant and diverse body of work. Moving freely among different media—sculpture, painting, video, installation, and digital art—Duwadi maintains an intimate relationship with nature and the cultures of both North America and Nepal. The artist currently divides his time between his studio in Bellingham, Washington, in the United States and Kathmandu, Nepal, where he pioneered public art installations that address political and environmental issues.