Jen Ting:Dancing with Inner Demons
裴振庭
: 與心魔跳舞

London, 18th September, 2023 — “The creative process as an endeavor born from immense pain”, Jen Ting describes. Hailing from her hometown in Taiwan, situated 9,872 kilometers away from London, Jen embarked on a journey that confronted her with unprecedented loneliness. She arrived in London without family or friends by her side, and the contrast with her homeland’s pace of life was stark.

 

In London’s fast-paced environment, Jen found herself immersed in solitude and grappling with immense pressure. Surprisingly, this pressure became a catalyst for rapid personal growth. She likened the experience to battling monsters in a game, where each encounter brought pain, loss, and revival. These moments of adversity became the wellspring of her creativity.

 

Jen reflected on her inner world through her art, using it as a tool to coexist with her true self. She gradually found tranquility amidst the storm of emotions and restlessness brought on by profound life changes.

Her love for shapes in her paintings was inspired by the clouds she saw in her dreams, each reflecting the emotions stemming from real-life events. During her tenure working in a bakery, she once grabbed a pastry bag to channel her emotions into art, like an alternative visual diary. This marked the birth of the “The Pastry Bag” collections (2022-2023). Jen utilized readily available markers as her medium, employing monochromatic strokes to convey emotions and symbols. She let her emotions guide the markers as they freely overlapped. As the ink neared depletion, she introduced texture variations, resulting in seemingly chaotic yet deeply expressive lines that concealed her emotional transitions and tension.

Contrasting with the fragile medium of “The Pastry Bag”, her recent creation, “The Tip of The Iceberg (2023)” , employed wooden boards and shifted from markers to oil pastels. The sturdy characteristics of the wooden boards and the rich texture of oil paints elevated her art. Chaotic brushstrokes transformed into clear outlines, and colors shifted from black and white to vibrant hues, resembling a lively celebration of nature’s vitality. Yet, the dreamlike and subconscious lines remained, sometimes vivid and other times faint, within the artwork.

Jen believes that her subconscious mind reveals her deepest fears through dreams. She communicates with these fears through intuition and painting, bypassing conscious thought. Upon awakening, Jen often uncovers messages within her artwork that had eluded her during the creative process. From “The Pastry Bag” to “The Tip of The Iceberg (2023)”, one can trace the extent of Jen’s heartbreak, courage, patience, and her willingness to confront her subconscious self through art. Facing one’s own fears can be more daunting than the fears themselves, and Jen has experienced this profound truth. Through her art, she hopes to inspire viewers to summon the courage to face their own inner fears and confront suppressed voices.

Jen’s latest artwork, “What’s in The Pastry Bag (2023)”, is a drawing book showcasing her collection and inviting viewers to express their feelings through art. In a similar vein, she previously conducted an exhibition lecture in Taipei (2021), where she encouraged the audience to paint their emotional states. With her installation piece “The Tumor Bar (2019)”, she invited viewers to interact and explore their inner demons collectively. Using a variety of creative materials, Jen provides viewers with opportunities for self-exploration, emphasizing that creativity is an integral part of daily life. Her future plans include holding a solo exhibition in London, featuring her paintings and interactive/immersive installations.