Tobe KAN Kiu Sin: Panacea

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Gallery EXIT is pleased to present “The Panacea”, a solo exhibition by Tobe Kan Kiu Sin.

This exhibition features a new series of plant paintings and three-dimensional works by Kan. Most of the large format works were completed in the artist’s studio under self-isolation during the most severe period of the epidemic, while the smaller works were made as a kind of remedy to calm the mind and restore health when the situation was relatively more stable, and around the time when the artist underwent a small operation. The word “panacea” originates from the Greek Panakeia, a goddess of universal remedy in Greek mythology, which also means a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases. When in states of stagnation and uncertainty, the artist believes more than ever in the ability of artistic creation to relieve stress and anxiety. But is art really a panacea?

Kan has been researching the imagery and significance of the colour blue in psychology, everyday life, popular culture and literature: Blue masks, Three Colours: Blue by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Blue by Derek Jarman, Perfect Blue by Satoshi Kon, Blue Period by Japanese manga artist Tsubasa Yamaguchi, inspired by Picasso, in which a character says, “If you see blue, no matter it is an apple or a rabbit, just paint it blue.”

From photographs taken of plants near her studio and in different temples, to found images of films or news reportages, Kan assembles into her paintings a certain languid state, hovering between reality and dream, such that the viewers find themselves lost amidst an illusory blue jungle.