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Karin Weber Gallery is proud to announce its first exhibition for 2020, a dialogue on abstraction between two female artists from different cultural backgrounds. ‘Her Song: Abstract Compositions by Tina Buchholtz and Tsang Chui Mei’ celebrates the artists’ respective journeys towards abstraction as their chosen form of artistic practice. Although both artists draw from the school of ‘Western’ abstraction in their formal education and still reference key American artists such as Jackson Pollock and Joan Mitchell today, there is equal recognition of the presence of similar themes and philosophies in much of traditional Chinese painting.

Having commenced her career as a figurative painter, German Tina Buchholtz began to ‘dissolve’ her landscapes in favour of colour fields and textures roughly twenty years ago. Whilst nature remains a primary influence, Buchholtz’ works respond to current events and frequently reflect her own emotions and memories; a balancing act between reflecting on external influences and an entirely personal, internalised subjectivity. For this show, we are excited to feature a range of works that engage directly with Chinese themes — a colour palette and creative process that stems directly from classic Chinese ceramics and gives this very special line of work a uniquely Asian twist.

Hong Kong artist Tsang Chui Mei also looks back over a similar time period for a process of blurring boundaries between elements of surrealism and abstract expressionism, more aligned with allegedly ‘Western’ traditions, and the multiple perspectives and freedom of form that denotes free-style Chinese painting. Yet Tsang retains minuscule, delicate references to natural subjects in her work — icicles, mountains and natural structures serve to anchor a viewer in each work, yet also underline their independence from naturalist visual references.

Both Tina Buchholtz and Tsang Chui Mei have long departed from the paintbrush as their primary artistic instrument — spatulas, masking tape, modelling paste and water jets provide important tools in their ongoing quest for harmony and a sense of unique personality in their compositions — for Buchholtz and Tsang, ’Her Song’ is confidently her own, an invitation for the viewer to immerse themselves and participate.

About the Artists:

Born, raised and working in Berlin, Germany, Tina Buchholtz (b.1963, Germany) initially pursued a career in graphic design before fully committing to her own artistic practice. Recent shows and fairs include ‘Hideaways’ at Galerie Art Center Berlin, Germany (2019), Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden. Germany (2019) and ’20/20: Celebrating 20 Years at Karin Weber Gallery’, Hong Kong (2019). Tina Buchholtz’ works can be found in private and public collections worldwide, including the German Parliament collections in Berlin, SAP AG in Walldorf, Germany and the André Heller Collection in Austria.

Tsang Chui Mei (b.1972, Hong Kong) obtained her Bachelor and Master degree in Fine Arts from the Department of Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1996 and 2004 respectively. She was selected to participate in a three-month residency program of the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France, in 2015. Her recent exhibitions include ‘Some Landscapes’, Grotto Fine Art Ltd, Hong Kong (2015), ’Purple: Women of Mankind’, One East Asia, Singapore (2015), and ’20/20: Celebrating 20 Years at Karin Weber Gallery’, Hong Kong (2019). She was the winner of the Hong Kong Urban Council Fine Arts Award (Painting) in 1998 and the Philippe Charriol Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Competition in 2005. Tsang’s works are collected by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Fringe Club Hong Kong, Philippe Charriol Foundation, Hotel ICON in Hong Kong, Hotel Stage in Hong Kong, and private collectors.