The pop-up exhibition Ayumi Adachi is an exciting TGIF’s initiative showcasing a series of works by the Hong Kong based Japanese artist, on view from October 3 through November 7, 2022. Ayumi Adachi’s works on paper and large-scale installations reflect the tranquility, tenderness and strength practically found in the natural world. With Buddhist thoughts and a distinct sensibility rooted in her life, the artist has been tirelessly testing her understanding of time and space through her artistic practices. 

The site-specific installation Line (2022) originates from the artist’s long-running installation series, and is composed entirely of paper. Meticulous black lines hand drawn on each sheet, a symbol of Ksana—a Sanskrit word indicating shorter-than-a-finger-snap unit of time, and all enlightenment that happen in the space of a Ksana which eludes our conscious mind. Crumpled and suspended from the ceiling, the work immerses viewers in the marvels of a seemingly natural phenomenon. With the Ksana lines visibly twisted, tangled, and connected, Ayumi Adachi incorporates the understanding of time and life circulations introduced by ancient Buddhist beliefs.

Ayumi Adachi’s works on paper are loosely categorized and resonate her art’s most persuasive traits, which are the artist’s collaborative, performative and atavistic impulses. The major group of paper works on view began with a scanned image—a German biologist Ernst Haeckel’s illustration or a fallen leaf found on a hike—transferred onto paper using grey tone inkjet printing. The artist then moisturises the paper sheets, often with natural rain drops. Water sinks into the paper and brings out the colourful pigments buried deep under the greyish surface, the saturated pink and magenta, and the soothing teal and blue.  Through Ayumi Adachi’s approach, the body of works departs from its imbricated original images and becomes the foundation for her intuitive brushstrokes and mix-media exploration. The other series of paper works, Komorebi (Japanese for “sunlight filtered by the leaves of trees”), is a game of catching sunlights. Using watercolour, the artist traces the shadows around Komorebi in a timely fashion, resulting in paper works with captured bright voids, and stunning yet subtle details. Playful and seemingly futile, the performative process examines the concept of “time-passing” and records the tactility of the invisible. As Ayumi Adachi said herself, “I converse with the sun this way”.

The program is generously supported by TGIF and is part of Wangsim Artwork Consignment Program.

Gallery address: Shop 4-6, Wo Fat Building, 539 Queen’s Road West, Kennedy Toiwn