Style and technique
Ay Tjoe works in mediums such as painting and printmaking, as well as soft sculptures and large-scale installations. [7] As a graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology, she studied various art techniques, including intaglio printing and graphic arts. [8] [9] She initially specialized in printmaking and later explored intaglio drypoint prints, woodcuts, and textiles. [5] She began painting later in her career. [7] During an interview with Studio International, Ay Tjoe stated, "It doesn't matter what the medium is, as long as the process is drawing. I will always treat every medium as paper and pencil." [5] After exploring various art techniques to express herself on a larger scale, Ay Tjoe transitioned from drypoint on paper to oil bar on canvas, which has become one of her signature mediums. [10]
Drawing on Southeast Asia's cultural diversity and ethnic heritage, the artist's works explore themes rooted in Christian narratives and spiritual concepts, often emphasizing human imperfections and the duality of existence. [2] [8] [11] Faith is a significant motivating factor in Ay Tjoe's art, which she has described as a 'God-given task'. [12] Her works frequently feature strong lines and abstract, sometimes flawed, figurative elements. [13] [14] She employs brushstroke techniques to create transitions from rough to smooth textures, sometimes breaking into visual harmony. [14] Through layered abstract imagery, Ay Tjoe conveys emotions such as melancholy, struggle, pain, and happiness using clusters of color. She balances positive and negative space and color to suggest the interconnectivity of humanity and nature. [7] [8] [11]
Beginning in 2010, the color palette in her paintings shifted, transitioning from primarily muted and earthy tones to brighter hues, including rose, pale pink, vermilion, ochre, and rich brown, which contributed to a more intimate feel in her compositions. [10] An example is the painting The Curious Hole, created around the time her first child was born. It has been interpreted as depicting a sense of beginning – a delicate representation of the exhilaration of birth and the fragility of newborn life. [10]
In the painting The Workers, Ay Tjoe utilized the intaglio drypoint technique and experimented with line architecture and form, applying each stroke with spontaneity and improvisation. For direct engagement with the piece, she used her hands to rub the lines, creating mixes of color fields. [15] The Workers explores the sensation of polar opposites, particularly between loneliness and joy, often rendered dramatically with black and white compositions. Through this painting, Ay Tjoe has discussed the significance of teamwork and partnership, emphasizing the value of love, giving, and collaboration to foster kindness, faith, hope, and love. [15]
Solo exhibitions
While Ay Tjoe's works address many aspects of humanity, her solo exhibitions often reflect her perspective on the relationship between individuals and the general public at a specific time.
Eksekusi Ego (2006)
Following her solo exhibition at Edwin's Gallery in 2003, Ay Tjoe returned to Jakarta, Indonesia in 2016 for her fourth solo show. Titled "Eksekusi Ego" (Ego Execution), the exhibition explored the existence of self and questioned societal norms. A series of pencil works in the exhibition "blurs the ego by concealing the faces or identities in the collective of figures that now appear in layered meanings," according to art critic Carla Bianpoen. [16] Bianpoen observed that, compared to earlier exhibitions focusing on individuality, the artist appeared to be "now desperately trying to comply with society," suggesting a portrayal of killing one's ego to blend in.
Panorama Without Distance (2009)
Ay Tjoe used typewriters connected to loudspeakers as interactive elements. [17] She also addresses the idea that humans can reach another reality only by going beyond or disrupting chaotic daily activities. As art critic Hendro Wiyanto commented, "Only by going beyond daily symptoms, perhaps also by destroying its phenomenal forms, can a screen to another reality be discovered. Only by going beyond the chaos, without denying it, can we encounter the cosmos, a cosmos that contains chaos or a chaosmos." [18] This artwork received the first SCMP/Art Futures award in Hong Kong. [19]
BLACK, KCALB, BLACK, KCALB (2018)
In Ay Tjoe's 2018 exhibition at White Cube, London, she prominently used black to represent "the dark potential which all people have." [20] She was inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's essay on Faust. The story, in her view, depicts humanity as a whole, encompassing both positive and negative aspects of body and soul. Through the story, she explored the darker aspects of human nature. As she stated, "The reality is that darkness is part of human nature." [21] Ay Tjoe reinforces the concept of imperfection, encouraging individuals to act with good deeds despite inherent human flaws.
List of solo exhibitions [22] | Year | Title | Location |
|---|
| 2001 | Buka Untuk Melihat | Redpoint Gallery, Bandung, Indonesia |
| 2002 | At The Day of German Unity | German Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 2003 | Reach Me | Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia |
| Aku / Kau / Uak | Edwin's Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia [9] |
| 2006 | Eksekusi Ego | Edwin's Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 2007 | Silent Supper | Ark Galerie, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 2008 | Wall Prison (part two) | Scope Miami Art Fair, Miami, United States |
| Interiority of Hope | Emmitan CA Gallery, Surabaya, Indonesia |
| 2009 | Panorama Without Distance | Hong Kong Art Fair, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre |
| Eating Excess | Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Singapore |
| 2010 | Lama Sabahktani Club | Lawangwangi Art & Science Estate, Bandung, Indonesia |
| Symmetrical Sanctuary | Sigi Art Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 2015 | Perfect Imperfection | SongEun ArtSpace Seoul, South Korea |
| 2018 | BLACK, KCALB, BLACK, KCALB [23] | White Cube London, United Kingdom |
| Spirituality and Allegory | 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan [24] |
| 2021 | Spinning in the Desert | White Cube, Hong Kong [16] |
| 2022 | Personal Denominator | ARTJOG MMCCII. Commissioned Artist: Reflection on the Pandemic [25] |
| 2023 | The Uncompromising #01 | Shanghai, China |
Important joint exhibitions
Christine Ay Tjoe has participated in joint exhibitions in several countries, including China, the USA, the UK, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Italy. Notable exhibitions include: China National Museum of Fine Art (2003), 1st Beijing International Art Biennale (2003), Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (2005), National Gallery, Jakarta (2009), Shanghai Contemporary (2010), Saatchi Gallery, London (2011), Fondazione Claudio Buziol, Venice (2011), Singapore Art Museum (2012), National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung (2012), Royal Academy of Arts, London (2017), Asia Society Triennial, New York (2020), and Joan Mitchell and Christine Ay Tjoe: Two trailblazers of 20th and 21st century abstraction at Mnuchin Gallery, NY, USA (2023). [26]
Art market
Ay Tjoe's contemporary paintings have achieved significant market results, particularly in Asia. In 2017, her painting entitled Small Flies and Other Wings, painted in 2013, sold for HK$11.72 million at the Phillips auction house in Hong Kong, ten times the pre-sale estimate, placing her among the most expensive living Indonesian artists by auction price. The painting depicts life and death, visualized by a swarm of flies. [29] Prices for Ay Tjoe's paintings continue to command high values. In 2021, her 2013 painting Second Studio sold for HK$7.4 million at Sotheby's in Hong Kong. [30]
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