Twisted Forest

Cheung Pak Yu (b. 2001) completed a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2024. Cheung's past artworks concentrated on urban life and emphasized the reflections on our habitual state, including the aspects of interpersonal relationships, personal practice, and behavior. Her works deliberated urban life by applying the knowledge of cultural studies. One of her approaches was to explore the issues of "community" and reflected on our involvement in self. Also, she explored the topic of personal space and the impact of mobility on relationships based on the characterization of late modernity. Elements about humans, daily life, and the city were often presented in her works. Currently, her artistic practice is shaped by the unique academic environment of the university's Department of Art, which merges traditional Chinese and Western artistic influences. Cheung draws inspiration from classical Chinese painting, reinterpreting these traditions through the use of Western painting media and abstract techniques in her nature-themed works. Her predominant medium is acrylic paint, through which she articulates visual lines as a fundamental element of her artistic language. By simplifying the essence of objects and emotions into lines and spatial relationships, she demonstrates a profound engagement with the nuances of narrative and emotion, resulting in works characterized by distinct line qualities, textures, and variability. This foundation facilitates the integration of compositional elements, color theory, and surface treatments. Cheung regards a dual exploration of nature and urban life in an abstract way as her future artistic goal.