The oeuvre of Jeffrey Chong Wang is whimsical and striking. He paints his protagonists as fair-skinned and idealized in style, looking out into the distance with lost and captivating eyes.
The birds in the Bemrose exhibition flit in and out of camouflage, challenging the eye, at times, to separate plumage from foliage. It’s an unbridled dance between the figure and its descent into the oblivion of abstraction.
The evolving quality of the exhibition encourages multiple visits to see how the pieces progress over time. Ultimately, it is more so the development of the clay than the final product that evokes curiosity and engagement.
I have always tried to be a pleaser and these new works show the different complexities of my personality, my darker and more rebellious side as well as my vulnerability and happiness
Böttner’s work is a discourse on embracing and accepting different types of bodies and has brought to light the ability to use bodies as a mode of expression, demonstrating how happiness can be achieved through using one’s physical form, even if it is deformed.