Clem So has a Solo Show at Centrespace Gallery, 6 Leonard Lane, Bristol, BS1 1EA, Bristol on the 2nd – 9th February 2011, 11.00 am – 5.00 pm and the Private view will be on Thursday 3rd Feb (Chinese new Year) 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm.

So's work centers around his Identity as a British born man of Chinese descent and he takes a look at the duality of this diaspora and through his creativity, is trying to convey this as one cohesive whole using his Buddhist practice as the pivot. His work covers a broad spectrum of media from paintings, installation work (including sound) to moving image.



Clem So : Tracing The Intangible

Centrespace, 6 Leonard Lane, Bristol, BS1 1EA

Open Wednesday 2nd February to Wednesday 9th February 2011. 11.00 am – 5.00 pm (Including Sunday 6th February 11.00 am – 4.00 pm)
Free Admission

Tracing The Intangible is a one man show on the artist’s identity. This is explored through the viewpoint of Buddhist ideology and the relationship that is evoked. This show is transmitted as unique portraiture and moving image. My parents travelled from the South of China, laying down roots here in Liverpool, England in the late 1950s, the city where I was born and my work touches on the Diaspora and this cultural conundrum. This connection feels intangible but it is there nevertheless and I want to convey that.

In my Illustrations from the series Portrait From The Afterlife, you will see me burrow deeper into the underbelly of my own identity and the link between past, present and future. This is reflected in ancestral portraiture which begin with the flow of Chinese ink, bleeding, layering and merging with photographic elements such as oriental food and ghost money (traditionally burnt at funerals as an offering), suggesting, connection, memory, culture and the afterlife. Through a combination of the traditional and digital process, I am able to peel back and reveal hidden layers of abstracted texture and portraiture, as you have never seen before.



Comprising of prints, drawings, paintings, table installation, sound and video you are instantly drawn into the exhibition environment and the artist’s inner world. Sound, movement and visuals interlace to fully engage with the viewer. Past visitors have found this show to be either a enchanting or cathartic experience or a mixture of both. The show commands a genuine presence, conveying a over-whelming feeling of loss and our deep desire for connection. Our humanity is the tangible thread shared by all.



More on www.clemso.com

The current issue of Arts+Culture also features So's work on the Front Cover as well as an interview on Pgs 16 & 17.

Links to two films that will be showing at Centrespace.

vimeo.com/14032415
vimeo.com/12946643