VORWORT / PREFACE
Chi's plastic works show a fascination for tangible
materials. The objects she creates arise from persistent passion. The relation
with the physical body is always and predominantly present.
In her objects one remarks her roots. The calm serenity of
the eastern spirit — the soul — linked to a frangibility of the materials - the
body -.
Remarkable is her extreme sensibility for texture. The skin
of the materials she chooses inspires her. Some sculptures have a non finite
aspect. One could compare it with a house that never has been finished. Chi's
house is her body. Her art is a manifestation of the way she's experiencing it.
Are there still some adjustments to be done or cups to be filled? Chi is
questioning herself and moves forwards. Through her work she invites the viewer
to do the same.
At first, the objects spoke to each other. Now, in her
recent works, they withdraw within them-selves, so that they cannot bear the
proximity of other works. They need space of their own.
In this light, it is
interesting to understand how the image comes into being. In the "Red
Cross Painted Objects" Chi paints the blank surface with nail polish.
Thereby she starts from the heart of the surface. This is a slow and laborious
process, which is partly due to the volatile material in the nail polish, and
partly to the search for a delicate balance between the dimensions of the
object and the power of the cross symbol. Often one or more sides of the cross
do not touch the frame. And so there is a void. Something that has not been
filled in, which creates the impression-on that we
are dealing her with a gesture - an act - rather than with the desire to
represent some-thing. This view is even enhanced by the fact that, when we take
a closer look, we can tell the creation process from the work itself. We can
see the direction of the nail polish strokes. This way, the introversion is
broken.
The colour red first of all represents blood - Chi evolved
from soft pink to deeper and more intense red-brown shades. In relation to the
cross pattern the objects clearly suggest the theme of sacrifice. And by
considering the choice of materials we even discover a third level of meaning,
which questions the position of woman in today's society. By using nail polish
amongst other things, she disguises herself to protect her vulnerable
"self". Her being physically inferior to man, moreover, only too
often leads to abuse. And so Chi's work condemns inequality in this world.
This short introduction only intends to provide the initial
impulse for discovering the "Red Cross Painted Objects", leaving you
free, however, to go even deeper, in search for the soul of the Cross.
Erno Vroonen Antwerpen / München/ 1997
publication H art 2006
Link :
http://community.dewereldmorgen.be/blog/leodeley/2015/05/09/venstergalerie-heropgestart-met-werk-van-sim-cha-chi
Link to Netwerk Aalst 2016
https://understandingterritoriality.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/netwerk-workshops-working-with-asylum-seekers-and-refugees/
