Wu Shaoying (Ng Sio Ieng)(b.1966) Ink 05 ink on canvas executed in 2011 diameter 150 cm (59 in)
Being one of the few female contemporary artists, Ng Sio Ieng is known for the use of new media and the distinctive Chinese features in her works. She studied a rich collection of calligraphy and paintings while she visited the Research Office of the Gallery of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting at the British Museum, enabling her to explore the concept of ink in motion. Ink is traditionally regarded as a form to express text and objects. Ng Sio Ieng adopts freeform techniques to liberate ink and water from its subordinate relation with pen, presenting the aesthetics of ink which goes beyond limitation. Paper is a medium that brings out the motion of water and ink, but it is difficult to manage the storage of paper. In recent years, she has developed a mature skill in executing the flow of ink over canvas. Ink 05 is a recent work that depicts the movement of ink on a canvas. Ink 58 is a work executed on an elongated oval canvas which stimulates the visual aesthetics and tension of the subject matter. Ng connects and manipulates the composition of the ink movement in her works. The form of the ink movement on the round canvas changes with the position of the viewer’s eyes, expressing the idea of oneness in Chinese philosophy and revealing the sophisticated skills of the artist.