On the Surface focuses on the canvas itself. Instead of adding materials on the canvas surface to make three dimensional vision, I use the canvas itself to randomly create shapes on the surface, then I paint on the uneven surface following the traces (the bumps and the wrinkles) which were randomly made. The canvas is laid down on the table while painting, I rotate the canvas and paint from different angles. The process makes me think of how the landforms are formed on earth: full of uncertainty and each angle has its own view. I am creating a space rather than a certain image. The shadows change when the light comes from different angles, this affects several aspects: the painters’ experience, the viewers’ experience, how the paintings are photographed and how the works are exhibited.
This series will include paintings made in different cities. The project name ‘on the surface’ means on the surface of a canvas and a place you stay for a period of time, which consists of numerous layers/fragments of life. It is a combination of life experiences in a certain space/time. The canvas and I evolve together.
Yolie Yolanda 