CHRISTINE AY TJOE (b. 1973)

Christine Ay Tjoe possesses the ability to create visually striking and psychologically resonant canvases. Exorcising emotional and religious forbearance within her deeply personal artistic journeys, the artist dwells upon themes of Catholic sensibilities, figural violence and bodily consumption. The end result is manifested in startling quality upon her canvases; taking the shape of massing, barely-human figures stretching out gauzy fingertips, or abstracted gestural forms rendered primarily in scarlet, blue and earth hues. Abstinence, suffering, and metaphysical transformation are primary subjects within Ay Tjoe's artistic impulses; however, there is always a certain redemptive quality and the prospect of salvation.

Pemandangan Berair #4 (Liquid Landscape #4) combines many of the characteristic visual elements of Ay Tjoe's recent productions - the inclination to apply layers as a signifier of accumulated experience or emotion; the preservation of the line as the ultimate expressive device; and finally the disclosure of thoughts in the form of amorphous floating masses floats at the heart of the composition.