Benrei HUANG's solo exhibition "Om at the Breakfast Table" will be held at ESLITE GALLERY from 5 September to 4 October 2015, presenting the artist's latest creations that reflect her quotidian and travelling experiences. In addition to HUANG's long-time protagonist Nini's diversified outlooks, one can also sense the artist's continual evolvement of thinking, more precise arrangement of forms, and more principled selection of experimental subjects.
The title "Om at the Breakfast Table" reveals Benrei HUANG's idea of sifting the essence from the superfluous, as inspired by her cross-references among her dining overseas, visiting Japanese rock gardens, and her own mentality as a creator. As HUANG said, "Even though they (the Japanese rock gardens) appear to be bare, presented before our eyes are the most indispensable elements, which perhaps encapsulate their contextual cultures, histories, and aesthetics. The excessive and pretentious minutiae, just like some nonsense of no use, can be dispensed indeed." In her creative process, HUANG seldom observes any prescribed rules. She often lets her experiences sit with some time; then at some moments, certain scenes may show up and jump onto her canvases, as if having their own will. There is nothing maneuvering, nor is there deliberate brainstorming in her creation.
Benrei HUANG also draws extensively from personal experiences of life. For instance, motherhood provides her with abundant inspirations. In The Insomniac Has the Last Laugh and Sophisticated Vandalism, one can observe that Nini's eyes are tainted with some obstinacy and rebellion but without any decisive claims. Viewing the paintings, accordingly, the spectators can perceive the artist's tender feelings towards her adolescent son. On the other hand, in Vanilla Flavor Dreams, HUANG experiments with the analogy and conversion of varied sensory experiences. For example, she uses winding lines to visualize the spreading of smell, like the lingering of some fragrance.
Benrei HUANG's paintings used to have plainly descriptive titles, but this time she tends to decrease their absoluteness, allowing the spectators more freedom to interpret and appreciate the strata and significance of the pictorial scenarios. Regarding her creation, HUANG has always been serious and meticulous. She hopes her spectators can discover, from each new exhibition, her changes in content, breakthrough of status quo, elevation of artistic levels, and nuances of her mentality and concerns.
