Can a cloud be depicted in a still life composition? If so, would it still be considered a still life?

Invited by Taipa Village Cultural Association, Wong Weng Cheong is showing a selection from a previous body of etchings entitled “Catch It Outside”, which was shown for the first and only time at be-Kyoto Gallery, in Kyoto, Japan, in 2018. His personal take on the traditional technique of printmaking is to embrace the new tools of software technology (3D rendering) to model his still life compositions, thus creating hyper-realistic images as if they were photographic depictions

Curator’s Statement

Can a cloud be depicted in a still life composition? If so, would it still be considered a still life?

Invited by Taipa Village Cultural Association, Wong Weng Cheong is showing a selection from a previous body of etchings entitled “Catch It Outside”, which was shown for the first and only time at be-Kyoto Gallery, in Kyoto, Japan, in 2018. His personal take on the traditional technique of printmaking is to embrace the new tools of software technology (3D rendering) to model his still life compositions, thus creating hyper-realistic images as if they were photographic depictions.

The etching plates selected for this exhibition revolve around two main subject matters: empty passages and still life compositions. At first glance, both are devoid of people, and consequently, seem cold, abstract and meaningless. But upon closer inspection, there is a common denominator manifested through a living element, the presence of the cloud and the play of light and shadow that suspends the moment of a particular passage.

Both natural elements, sunlight and cloud, play a fundamental role in each spatial composition in which its lightness is put into contrast with the overall setting, subtly conveying the beauty of transience. The psychological space created in each composition seems to extend a new breathable space, where the air is fresh, sober and contemplative, prone to poetic exaltation.

João Ó

About Wong Weng Cheong 

As an emerging artist on Macau’s art scene in recent years, Wong has found his talent appreciated since he studied at high school. He was the youngest artist selected to exhibit his work at the first Macau Printmaking Triennial in 2013, after which he received a scholarship from Macau’s Cultural Affairs Bureau to study Fine Art at the prestigious Goldsmiths, University of  London, where he integrated the printmaking techniques he learned from printmaking master Wong Cheng Pou.  By integrating his two-dimensional works with three-dimensional creations, he generated unique visual compositions and sculptural textures.  In 2018, he held his first solo exhibition “Catch It Outside” in Kyoto, Japan, where he was praised by the Kyoto art industry. Some of his works were also collected by cultural institutions.  His recent exhibitions in Macau include “Above the Descending” held at Post-Ox Warehouse Experiment Site in 2020, followed by “Somewhere Still Wild” taken place at the Casa Garden Gallery in 2021.

Artist’s Statement

I try to divide the picture with cold, abstract lines in my works for this exhibition. The lines penetrate the clouds with ambiguous shape in the background and forms a faintly discernible status.

Clouds, in fact, are just big puffs of water vapours. I make use of the uncontrollable shape of clouds to create an interaction between the abstract objects and the clouds. This brings out the quiet vibe between the composition and the characters in the picture. It may disappear from the picture inadvertently, and perhaps the clouds could not choose to remain there. Besides, I never thought of touching any abstract objects through the emptiness of the picture. I just want to share with the audience. The mark that is left behind during the evanescent moment of disappearance which occurs during the encounter of clouds and space.

Wong Weng Cheong