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Visual art by nature is static, yet it has immense capability to capture motion, both in its subjects and the way it is viewed. In my artworks, I seek media, techniques and compositions that create the effect of flow and movements. The main means by which I’ll achieve this are the subject dancers and the material smoke.

Dance has always intrigued me with its fascinating fluidity, supple shapes and excellent evocativeness. As I follow the journeys of hardworking yet oftentimes ill-fated dancers, I was inspired to tell the unnoticed stories and the behind-the-scenes of this increasingly popular form of art. Through my artworks, I aim to express all kinds of emotional ups and downs—from the burning dreams and fervent passion to the crushing doubts and painful hardships in the life of a dancer.

There are two ways to interpret the exhibition. The first being a growth journey of a dancer beginning from childhood talent and passion, which ultimately led to a sad ending due to a sudden unexpected injury. The second layer of meaning tells a deeper aspect of the story others doesn’t know about: the dancer was pressured into the field due to the family traditions of being exceptionally gifted dancer. Accordingly, the shadows that appear in the first as well as the second artwork, and became one with the dancer in the third can either be the child’s role model and aspired future, or the ghost of expectations and a pre-destined, unchangeable future. The first few artworks depict an unseen process, and as the story advances, the works become 3D, diving deeper into the multi-faceted nature of reality. As such, the dejection seen in the last two artworks can either be the disappointment of being unable to pursue a passionate dream or the pressure from failing family expectations.

Throughout the exhibition, color and the lack thereof are often employed to make distinctions between past-present, between dream-reality, or to reflect the emotions of the dancer. The material smoke can complement this theme greatly as it can allude both to the negativity fogging the dancer’s journey and to the motion of their body and passion.

My chosen artworks will act as a chronological series detailing significant moments and sentiments in a dancer’s journey, as each piece is a sequel of another. The exhibition is thus arranged also in a chronological order, but not from the typical left to right, but rather, from high to low, weaving through a curved flow of view, which further enforces the concept of inducing motion in the static.

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Media: acrylic paint on canvas

Size: 600x800mm

This piece is the start of the series, representing the beginning of a dancer's story, starting with her as a young girl playing around on a small, empty stage-like platform, where she stands on a chair and try to do a dance pose. The girl faces forward, unknowing of how her shadow—which reflects her dream and foreshadows towards her future—is posing in the background. The smoke-like element and textured values of the background combines to create both a dreamy feeling and a majestic flow representing the overflowing passion, talent and ceaseless movement of the dancer. The young girl is painted in a vibrant orange dress, drawing the viewers eye onto her and her action before they follow her shadow into the background. The silhouette and the flow are all painted with only black and white, showing that these are the unknown and unrevealed part of the girl's future that will be seen in the next artworks.

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Size: 600x400mm

Media & material use: Oil and smoke on canvas

The artwork depicts the teenage years of the girl, who’s preparing to be a dancer. The vibrant color of the girl’s dress and the vacancy of the large ballroom spotlights her. This draws attention to her placement at the corner of the room, with her facing away from the audience, showing a determination to improve so fervent it keeps her from turning to anything else. The arm and vine emerging from the smoke represent both the dreams keeping her going and the expectations preventing her from chasing anything else.

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Media: 400x400mm

Media & material use: Oil, acrylic, charcoal on canvas

The artwork depicts the moment of inspiration the dancer gets while pursuing her dream. The colors dripping down and covering the once colorless woman shows the passion and ideas are running all through her body. Additionally, this component of the piece suggests a transition between an aspiring dancer’s dreams and its manifestation in reality. The waves and patterns surrounding her represent the emotions and inspirations boiling inside her.

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Media: spray paint, acrylic, smoke on paper, foam, canvas and acrylic sheet

Size: 400x350mm

In the prime stage of her career, the dancer wields all of her potential to youthfully showcase her artistry through dance. The box represents the opening of a new dream, new possibilities, and a new stage for the dancer to freely express herself in. The four stenciled pieces on the sides have the colors of the four elements, showing the dancer's capability to overcome the elements and take control.

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Media: charcoal, smoke, fabric paint on canvas

Size: 400x600mm

This art piece depicts the pain of a dancer when facing doubts and threats about a supposedly impending failure. The work is composed of two layers of canvas held together by a wooden frame. The layer in the front depict the persisting, spreading clouds of doubts engulfing her and its damages. The second layer—which the audience can see by lifting up the draping first layer—shows the dream-crushing voices plaguing her mind. The background, with its overlapping inconsistent black strokes, conveys an infestation of darkness in the mind caused by the doubts.

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Medium: Acrylic on acrylic sheets

Size: 184x300cm

This artwork depicts the tragic end to a dancer's career upon learning about the injuries accumulating in her, slowly disabling her as the candle insinuating the passing of time burns down. For a dancer, undue injuries affecting movement can mean the end of it all, regardless of all hard works done to reach the spotlight. The first layer represents the present's resulting pain and detachment, the second: the past's glory when time was still plenty, and the last: darkness and melancholy overwhelming the dancer's mind.